Downfall
by Blaze Titanium
Summary: In a new age of technology, Binary Code has taken over the leadership of the royal guard. With his technicians, Binary has developed an army of robotic drones that protect the nation of Equestria. When a new insurgency accidentally displaces Binary from his position, he has to fight to survive against a coming war. OCs within story.
1. Plip Plop

_Plip plop._

"_It's all a dream. I know it. I'll wake up any minute now, just watch." _Carrot Top thought to herself as she tried to will herself out of her "nightmare."

She felt the blood drip from her mouth, splattering like paint on the concrete floor.

Her eyes were blurry when she tried to get her bearings, but couldn't find a way to see properly, a mess of dark colors in her view, making a hazy collage. She tried to move, but found that forehooves were shackled tightly.

"_Why can't I move?" _Carrot Top thought, fear rapidly filling her heart as she tugged helplessly at the chains that bound her in place.

Her vision started to clear slightly, allowing her to see that she was in a large, dark room. Hopelessly stuck within a circle of light generated from a distant light far above. She glanced both ways, seeing that her forehooves were locked into shackles that stretched away into the darkness to both sides.

She looked down to see her hindhooves were bound to ground by short manacles that were firmly bolted. She pulled on all of her restraints in hope of freeing herself, but found that her "uncanny strength" associated to all Earth ponies was utterly useless. Normally, she could lift a few hundred pounds of fruits for her job in the market, but now she couldn't even weaken the links.

Trying to call out for help, she found her throat was raw as if she had been screaming earlier. After that failed, she leaned her body forward in attempt to pull the chains out.

Her forehead broke out into a sweat as she pulled as hard as she could and was satisfied to hear the chains groan in protest. Feeling the muscles in her forelegs tremble, Carrot Top groaned in pain as her body screamed in protest. She pulled with all of the strength she had left, making sure to add as much as adrenaline as she could. Finally, the steel links suddenly broke and she tumbled to the floor, grunting in pain as her face hit the ground.

Following a moment to recollect herself, Carrot Top struggled to stand. She found her legs were still too wobbly to allow normal movement, so she collapsed to the ground to rest and to gather enough strength to pull her back hooves free. She waited a few minutes before viciously pulling against the cuffs again once more. Hoping they would be easier to break than the ones she had broken earlier, she put that thought in her head she pulled. When she slightly bent the links after the second try, she rested to allow more strength to return so that she could fully break them on the next try. With a deep sigh, she began to pull on the chains again when a harsh sound suddenly rang out in the vast room, sending a cold shiver down her spine.

It was laughter, full of evil, and yet so emotionless as it buzzed throughout the room like a swarm of bees, "Keep on struggling, that'll get you somewhere." A voice called out, mocking her to try to escape. She continued tugging on the now weak links, nearly destroyed, nearly free. As she worked, she noticed that the hidden pony's voice was rather strange, as if an odd, warped hum had distorted the laugh.

"Trust me, little filly, you don't want to struggle much; or my friend D45H here will have to stop you." The voice piped in. Judging by what she could hear, Carrot Top assumed it was from a stallion by voice-tone, but she could be wrong. She could feel him there he was sitting in the shadows just outside the circle of light, his silhouette masked cunningly within the shadows. His presence seemed to taunt her while she worked to escape. At the mention of "D45H" a low, clinking noise resonated from somewhere nearby, like gears from a machine. Each individual "clink" gave Carrot Top more and more gooseflesh at the thought of what was in the gloom, some horrific monster waiting to attack, perhaps.

"Did you trap me here?" Carrot Top asked, unable to stop her teeth from chattering as she struggled pathetically, causing to chains to jangle.

The stallion chuckled as if he had just heard a funny joke, his laugh was a creepy, yet comical warble as rumbled throughout the chamber. He then responded with, "Of course I did; but don't worry, I brought you here because you seem like the 'perfect _candidate_'," he paused, letting the words sink in, "for my little experiment here today." Carrot Top couldn't see the stallion, but she could feel him continually mocking him. She imagined him with a large shark-like grin, the teeth glinting as they closed in for a bite.

"Let me out of here, you freak!" she screamed, her voice suddenly went out from her sore throat.

"_Tsk, tsk, tsk_." He chided, "You're an impatient little foal, Carrot. Don't worry my friend; you'll leave this place, eventually." The stallion responded with an insane cackle. The noise seemed to wedge into Carrot Top's head and vibrate within her skull, causing her to writhe in pain.

Trying to free herself without the stallion noticing, she quickly tugged at the weak links holding her in place. Watching in nervous anticipation, she waited for them to snap. Finally, they sprung free and Carrot Top wasted no time to instantly break into a gallop for what she thought was the exit. She tensed her legs as best as she could. As she ran, she made sure while she ran to bend her legs so they wouldn't suddenly buckle while she escaped.

After blindly sprinting through the dark, she saw what appeared to be a door and sprinted for it as fast as she could. Praying to Celestia that she could be able to get away from the crazy stallion before he could catch her again.

"_Yes! A door, I'm free!" _Carrot Top thought excitedly as she rapidly neared an apparent door at the far-side of the building. Upon reaching it, she didn't even bother stopping to open the door, but rather launching her bulk into it so that the weak, old bolts snapped and the door fell, allowing her to gallop into a cool breeze.

"_Something isn't right." _Carrot Top assumed as she slid to a halt just outside the building. It was nighttime, and she could see a thick fog had built up around her. Also, she couldn't breathe normally, as if the oxygen had been sucked from the air, leaving her to gasp continually as she struggled to find her bearings in the irritating cold.

The shrill laugh rang out in the chilly night once more, followed by another distorted comment from the stallion, "If you think that I'd let you out so easily, you must be sadly mistaken to believe that you can escape me; but don't worry, I won't hurt you, but I don't know about D45H." Carrot Top could hear the noise again, now more eerie in the cool, night air. It was as if a banshee had been given a voice-changer, morphing the noise so that it sounded almost artificial, like steam hissing from a boiling kettle.

An odd feeling overcame Carrot Top as she caught her breath. She couldn't see anypony, but she felt somepony watching from just inside the building, keeping inside the veil of darkness. She decided to ignore the feeling and turned to continue running. As she ran a few a hundred yards down the concrete path that lead to the building, she was suddenly intercepted by a figure that smashed into the path a few feet in front of her from the air.

Carrot Top kept her guard up as she slowly approached the figure. Probably a pegaus, as it had come from the sky. The figure stood sluggishly, appearing to have taken some damage from the landing; but the figure gradually focused their eyes onto Carrot Top, two red orbs that shone like flashlights in the dark.

The figure's legs were slightly spread from their landing, but quickly adjusted it into a defensive stance, as if anticipating a fight. Golden Harvest tried to plead the figure for help, but her voice was still broke when she spoke, "Please, I just want to leave, can you help me?" she begged the peculiar figure.

Cocking its head disconcertingly, as if pondering whether to help Carrot Top or not, the figure gazed pupil-less into her eyes. Beginning to walk in a measured circle around the figure, Carrot Top stood her distance as if the figure were a dangerous hazard that was slowing her escape from the mysterious stallion.

Just as she was about to pass the figure, they turned their head to follow Carrot Top's movements, watching with unwavering concentration, not even bothering to blink with those demonic eyes.

As she continued to walk away from the figure, she could hear a small voice coming from the figure. It was the crazy stallion, his voice muted and accompanied by static as if over a radio, "Bring her to me, D45H, we have unfinished _business_." The figure named D45H gradually turned to face Carrot Top.

There was a slight pause of silence, which was filled by Carrot Top's hurried, exhausted breathing. D45H released a blood-chilling shriek filling the night air with a strangled cry of rage, which was accompanied by a rather alarming action of spreading what appeared to be wings. Carrot Top began to panic when she noticed that the feathers seemed, different, not the usual gently curving kind seen on the pegasi visiting Ponyville. Instead, these feathers seemed rather sharpas if knives had been taped to the figure's sides.

Backing away slowly, Carrot Top hoped able to make a good running start on the seemingly slow D45H; but she was wrong when the pegasus started taking slow steps that gradually turned into a light trot.

Carrot Top broke into a full gallop as she sprinted down the dark path, hoping to end this living nightmare. She began to see something in this distance, _"I'm saved!" _Golden thought excitedly as she sprinted for what seemed to be a town.

This town seemed strange, the buildings sloping in the most strangest of places. _"Where am I?" _Golden gulped as she neared the town's border.

She could see a group of pegasi standing idly near the edge of the town. Openining her mouth to call to them, she was suddenly swept off her feet and had the air blown out of her lungs as something tackled her and pulled her into the sky, away from the warm town and sane people that lived there.

Risking a glance at her captor, she found it rather hard because of the violent turbulence. Despite that, she managed to see that the figure was a pony but something was wrong. Was that Rainbow Dash?

Carrot Top hadn't been very close to Rainbow back in Ponyville, but she knew there was something was _definitely _wrong with Rainbow Dash.

Her usually cyan coat was now a dark grey and appeared to be all metal, as if she had been skinned and had been recast in steel. Her mane and tail was usually a vivid rainbow of colors, but now they seemed to have been faded and put into long braids. She realized they weren't braids but plastic cables stretching from her metallic head, flapping in the wind as they flew back to the building Carrot Top had awaken in.

As they soared through the sky, she could hear a low hum, she managed to crane her neck to see small engines on the underside of her "wings", they were each spitting white-hot flames that came close to searing Carrot Top's legs.

After a long pause, Golden suddenly remembered what was going on and tried squirming against the robotic Rainbow Dash's grip but found that she, or it, had a remarkably strong grip. Trying a new tactic, she instead brought her hoof up and swung at Robot Rainbow Dash's head in defiance, Carrot Top yelped in pain when her hoof bounced harmlessly off of its head, causing a throb of pain to reverberate up her arm.

She ignored the pain when she noticed the building from earlier rapidly approaching as Robot Rainbow Dash went in for a landing at the entrance. Gathering her strength, Carrot Top began to swing in rage at the head of the robot. Although she was throwing punches randomly, her hoof suddenly missed the robot's head and instead clipped its neck instead. There was a brief flash of light and a sizzling noise followed by the Robot Rainbow Dash giving off another grotesque scream before dropping into an unexpected dive.

Pushing against the machine's weakening grasp, Carrot Top managed to pull herself from the clutch of the mech and plunged down towards the ground.

After saying her prayers and bracing for impact, Carrot Top was surprised to see that she was still falling, but had fallen past the level of the building. She then found herself plummeting through the sky, heading for the ground a mile away. It spanned underneath her, an ocean of dark green and grays that made up the land of Equestria. Managing to look back, Carrot Top discovered that she had been up in Cloudsdale the entire time, as the houses she had seen were irregularly shaped because they were made of clouds; and she couldn't breathe properly because the low amounts of air at such a height.

She saw lights not too far away below and noticed that it was the small town of Ponyville. She began to futilely paddle towards the town before once again, she was overtaken by the strange robot that swooped in from below after a dive and managed to catch her before pulling her back up to the land of clouds.

As the beautiful, aerial view of Equestria pulled away from her, she felt as if the angel of death had come to her. Being pulled to the afterlife in a moment of both bliss and fear.

Suddenly, there was a sharp pain in her abdomen. At first she ignored it, trying to reach the exposed cables of the robot's neck once more, but found herself much weaker than before.

Then Carrot Top looked down and noticed she had been impaled by one of the robot's long blade-like feathers. Foolishly fighting against the bladed feather, she found it useless but struggled with all of her leftover strength. Even after they both landed deftly at the entrance of the apparent abandoned structure that she had been tortured in earlier.

There was a series of clicks as the left "wing" on which Carrot Top had been skewered on rotated so that gravity slowly and painfully pulled her off the blade and onto the ground. As soon as she landed, she was immediately pinned by Robot Rainbow Dash's hoof, which seemed to be have been given large iron studs.

The studded hoof pushed harshly down on Carrot Top's chest, as she swore that she could ribs cracking under the immense pressure. Although she was completely overmatched, she still struggled trying to reach the drone's weak points, but they were too far away. Instead, she had to deal with the harsh lightbulb-like eyes that glowered down upon her.

As her eyes gradually began to darken into unconsciousness, Carrot Top could feel that a new pony had joined them, they stood just out of her field of view, but she knew who it was: it was the stallion with the voice-changer who had brought her here. To confirm this, his voice suddenly rang out in her rapidly fading hearing with, "Excellent work, D45H. Unfortunately, our little _specimen _is about to give out on us." He paused just like before, allowing the degrading names to hurt Carrot Top, "You apparently pushed down a tad bit too hard when you stuck her there, my dear. Nevertheless, she has felt the mighty power of the drones that I will release into Equestria when the time comes." he said with true villainous malice.

She gave a weak smile at the thought that she herself had nearly defeated the drone that stood over her, and to think that she was next to nobody. What would the entire fleet of Equestria fare against this pony's "power"? Absolutely nothing at all; so to mock him, she had smiled, letting a small trickle of blood flow out of her mouth to pool lazily on the ground.

The stallion seemed to notice this and in anger, he disengaged a blade-feather from Robot Rainbow Dash and proceeded to slice viciously into Carrot Top's flank, cutting her cutie mark off. The pain hit instantaneously, she could feel the harsh edge to the blade slice through her flesh in one swift motion. As he pulled the strip of flank away, blood began to ooze from the spot, joined by the sting of exposed muscle in the bitter, night air. The pain was unbearable, but Carrot Top felt too weak to give into the pain.

As life slowly gave out for Carrot Top, she could feel the emotionless and unwavering gaze from the artificial eyes of Robot Rainbow Dash, as if it was pulling her very soul from her body. The cold-hearted, twisted laugh rang out in the night, chilling the blood that remained in Carrot Top's body.

"Bring her inside, D45H. Perhaps we can give her a little experiment before she leaves us, thank her for the trouble she has caused." The stallion chimed in as Carrot Top heard him walk away. With an incongruous chirrup, the noise reminding Carrot Top of a broken pipe, D45H leaned towards the dying Carrot Top, grabbing her right leg with its jagged wings. This sent numb waves of pain throughout Carrot Top's body, making her weakly writhe while being dragged into the dark.

She felt the blood flow from her mouth:

"_Plip plop." _She thought as the light faded completely.

**-Binary POV-**

Binary Code sat at his main processing terminal, reading a rather short report on Canterlot's current political progress. The princess had a meeting today with delegates from Germaney, so he had to be there as a bodyguard.

It had been ten months since his election to become Captain of the Royal Guard, mostly due to his vicious demeanor on the battlefield, there was not much conflict here in Equestria, but he had to keep his eyes peeled for any sort of danger.

Usually, the only things worth checking out was the occasional Parasprite infestation, which was quickly dealt with by his special extermination squad, not authorized by the Royal Court, but who could tell the difference between a normal pacifying rifle and a gas blower? Binary could, but he and his technicians told no one.

"_Speaking of technicians…" _Binary though to himself as he swiveled in his chair, facing the East Wing of his "laboratory". His two technicians designed the lab. He was searching for one of them now among the large piles of scrap metal. With his help, who provided the equipment and the bits to keep the machinery up-to-date and functional; they had built a perfect base, both secluded and efficient for their goals in protecting Equestria.

The whole purpose for Binary Code was to preserve Equestria's balance, whether it was a Timberwolf invasion in a small town, to a lightning leak in a factory within Cloudsdale, Binary was the first captain in the history of Equestria to restore balance in record time, 15 minutes dealing with a dragon who had stumbled into Ponyville; thus, earning him the prompt title of "Metal Guardian of Equestria".

He suddenly spotted his main technician, Circuit, between two large husks of former airship carriages, scouring for parts. Circuit was most likely the tallest unicorn Equestria; he stood slightly higher than Princess Celestia herself, but his horn was shorter, as he wasn't an alicorn. His mocha-brown coat, coupled with his sickly yellow hair, while his black wire glasses matched with his calm, sea-green eyes, he seemed to have an almost alluring demeanor; however, his flaw was that he was too kept up in his work; which was perfect for Binary Code, who loved hard-workers. In finality, Circuit's cutie mark shone against his brown-tinged hide, showing off his black and green mark of a circuit, his namesake.

Binary Code hopped out of his chair and wove among the metal carcasses, making a beeline for Circuit who hefted a damaged turbine with a satisfied grin on his face. As Binary neared, he tried to seem impressed on Circuit's find, but in reality, he just wanted to shake his head at the uselessness of another piece of junk sitting in the graveyard of old machines that made up the East Wing. Although, Circuit had amazing potential with all kinds of machines, like the time he developed a toaster into a flamethrower.

The large, misshapen husks of the old devices came from all over Equestria, from lifts, conveyor belts, and vats imported from factories in Cloudsdale and Fillydelphia, to old blimps from Canterlot, to the occasional carriage out of Manehattan or Ponyville. This is where all machines came to die, wrecked, smashed, and shattered mechanisms lay on top of each other like garbage, forming hazardous piles of rusty metal; which surprisingly, Circuit's gangly legs could actual maneuver through.

Upon seeing Binary approach, Circuit motioned with his hoof for Binary to follow him; he meandered through the rusting metal, careful to avoid the sharp edges sticking out of the various heaps, all the while balancing the large turbine with his magic levitation. He reached a table and swept various nuts, bolts, and wires off to place the turbine onto it. After positioning the large turbine so that it wouldn't fall, Circuit turned to Binary, stretching his body from a long day of work.

"What's going on, Code?" Circuit asked as he began to inspect the damage of the old turbine, putting his face up to the various scratches and cracks in the framework.

Binary sighed, he was annoyed, "It's just been a long day of doing, well, nothing. I just want to have some action this week, but the Princess hasn't sent me _anything_ today; not even a daily update on all of the security nodes that need to be ready for tonight's meeting."

Circuit stopped examining the turbine and looked at Binary with a puzzled look, "Aren't you happy you don't have to do anything this week? I mean, who doesn't like to rest after a long month of work? Well, not including the work you've been doing up here, but fighting off creatures and monsters and such isn't getting annoying for you?" he asked.

Binary fidgeted anxiously, "I use it as an excuse to wake up every morning." he retorted with a shrug, trying to brush off the sad truth of getting up each and every morning to the sick enjoyment of cruelly massacring the creatures that seemed dangerous using the drones he had built.

Circuit shrugged, not focusing on Binary's apprehension, but wanting to see the potential of the turbine for his work. Binary stood watching Circuit crack apart the ancient metal covering and study the various wires wrapped around the core.

"Besides, the meeting will be fun, right?" Circuit asked, still engrossed in his work.

Binary thought he was kidding, so he busted out a joke, "Yeah, I get to punch the Cloudsdale delegate in the face and shoot the Gremaney ambassador's head off, such fun!" Binary said with his crude humor, even pumping his hoof for emphasis. It was true, he hated meetings. They were a boring waste of time where Binary had to stand still for two hours at Celestia's side, listening to various clan elders argue the problems of Equestria, instead of going out and actually solving them.

Upon hearing the joke, Circuit looked up with a look of confusion and terror on his face, "Are you serious…" he paused, considering what Binary had just said, "Wait, funny joke, Code." He said accompanied by his "what an idiot" eye-roll.

"Where's Wires?" Binary asked out of boredom from watching Circuit return to obsessively survey the innards of the turbine once more.

Wires was the third technician in the laboratory. More focused on programming than actually building, which Circuit mostly did, Wires was mostly found in the West Wing of the main area of Binary Code's base, setting up complex codes for the various machines that the three ponies designed.

Without even looking up, Circuit motioned towards the West Wing. Binary found the topic of who got which wing funny, as he had the small strip of the "Central Wing" which consisted of his workspace and launchpad for the trio's latest creation, his suit.

Binary wandered his way through the mounds of metal before reaching the lab's West wing. The West wing was filled with rows upon rows of servers, all containing the trillions of codes that controlled Binary's forces; the servers long, thick cables running across the floor like snakes before disappearing into the wall where they would run up to the roof to be broadcasted across the nation; and at the center of this marvel, sat Wires, rapidly tapping at a complex device he and Binary had created called a "computer." The computer was designed for Wires to input the codes for all of the servers to process within the base; thus, effectively controlling the drones. In Binary's case, his workspace also contained a computer which he used to control many different nodes, drones, and cameras throughout Equestria.

Drones. The word was a constant reminder of Binary's purpose in life as the captain of Equestria's guard. Binary had replaced Retired Capitan Shining Armor, who had retired in order to watch over the Crystal Empire as the prince with his wife, Princess Cadence. A month later, Binary had joined the Guard Academy in order to make his life-long dream come true: justice and unity throughout Equestria.

While Binary stood recalling the event, Wires looked up from his work, curious to see Binary spacing-out in front of his workspace. "Uh, you okay, Binary?" he asked.

Binary snapped out of his daydream, "Huh? Yeah, sorry, got sidetracked for a second there; anyway, how's the programming coming?" he responded, trying to keep the day lively.

Wires arched an eyebrow, which looked quite comical on a pony of his stature. He was a very short unicorn, slightly taller than an average foal, with an olive-green coat and a shock of a blond mane and tail, his electric-blue eyes matched with his mane's intense colors; coupled with his short size, which earned him the nickname "Gremlin", which he hated.

"Did you seriously ask how my _programming_ is coming?" Wires inquired, visibly shocked at the question, as the topic was _very _broad and Wires believed that nopony was convinced that the topic was interesting.

"Uh, yeah." Binary answered, trying to keep the conversation normal and avoid an awkward moment.

Wires sighed and shook his head, causing his mane to give off a rather annoying glare from his bright mane. Binary winced at the sudden shine and looked away, rapidly thinking of an appropriate topic to discuss with the ever busy Wires.

When he stopped moving, Binary quickly started with, "So, any new stuff going on?"

"What sort of stuff?" Wires asked, arching his eyebrow curiously again.

"Like pest control, or a security breach, or anything?" Binary begged, his boredom getting the best of him.

Wires shook his head sadly, "Sorry, Code, nothing; besides, the patrol drones would handle something like that, but there's that _meeting_ today." He said with an impish grin.

"This is ridiculous! To think that I used to believe that there was actually _conflict _in this damn nation." Binary growled.

Wires's grin widened, "That's how great you are, Code. You're so good at this 'justice' business that you've basically exterminated all of the problems in Equestria." He assured the exasperated Binary who grit his teeth and tapped his hoof impatiently on the ground.

Binary couldn't stand it; he needed some action, "Is 'Alpha' ready?" he pestered.

Wires' brow furrowed as he typed something on his keyboard; after a moment, he managed to find what he was looking for, "Eh, it can be used but I'm not sure the HUD is fully updated and the back thrusters haven't been added yet," he said with a shrug, gazing up sympathetically at Binary.

Binary face froze up with hesitation, was he ready to actually use the first suit the trio were designing? To him, yes, but he knew that he wouldn't be a professional at the controls on the first go, and what if he misuses the thrusters so that he ends up plummeting to his death? The test flights would be monitored by his unicorn comrades, but what happens when he would be out in the field? An Earth pony had no business up in the air, flying at supersonic speeds, but he needed _some _action, so he decided to go with it.

"How soon will Alpha be ready?" he asked, eager to try the new invention, to feel the wind brush against his body, if the suit would allow that.

Wires thought for a moment, "Well, we could get it functional before the end of the week. Oh, and by the way, its full name is 8R0NY."

"Hmm, okay, I guess our first test run will be next, uh, Monday. So, put "Pass 8R0NY Act" into my reminders so that today's meeting will be something to look forward to." He said with a satisfied grin as he began to walk back towards his computer, before being stopped by Wires.

"Well, this is interesting. Unidentified air subject coming in for a landing on the launchpad, it's really small, so it's probably a pegasus. There's your action for today." He heard Wires said as he rushed for the launch-pad, using his hi-tech cuff to call a pair of land drones to escort him.

As he neared the large, reinforced steel door, two lumbering drones joined him on either side. They each stood eight feet tall, black spray-painted armor with "Land Series" stamped on their sides in white on their sides. Their heads were narrow, with a single optical scanner running down their 'face'.

Their large frames squeezed through the door onto the large square of tarmac that acted as both a landing and launch pad. The large square, about the size of a tennis court, extended over a very deep canyon; thus, the base was built into the side of the cliff. The wind was whistling at such an altitude as each drone raised their arms and Binary heard the satisfying series of clicks as their arms opened up. The released arms revealed large crackling cores inside the base of the arms that housed the drones' projectile tasers, the inner energy cores giving off dangerous wisps of electrical arcs.

The unidentified subject turned out to be one of the few pony guards left in the force after the Drone Act. He was a pegaus, his armor glinting off of the sun high above as he backed away slowly with visible fear.

The drones followed, taking a few steps toward him, their one-ton legs sending vibrations through the asphalt. The guard spread his wings in anxiety, "Drones, stand down, unidentified subject discovered to be pony Royal Guard, ID…." Binary trailed off purposefully, to receive the guard's identity; he was met with the guard's reply of, "Uh, Lieutenant Silverfeather, sir." The guard said with a meek salute, the old salute of the Royal Guard. It was tradition for pony guards to salute from the head as if to show responsibility. However, after Binary had become the captain, he had changed the salute to a hoof over one's heart as a sign of having a soldier's pride in his work, but Binary ignored the mistake and carried on.

"ID specification, Lieutenant Silverfeather." Binary told the drones, waiting for their response. It came with, "ID processed, Lieutenant Silverfeather, authorized military personnel, pony division, air corps." The robotic voice of the drone to Binary's left released in its monotone voice.

'_Probably a message from the princess, she is seriously going to be left in the dust with communications if she keeps sending ponies messengers instead of electronic messages.' _Binary thought to himself as he commanded the drones to leave; they trudged back into the base, their extremely heavy footsteps reverberating through the blacktop.

After the drones disappeared back into the base, Lieutenant Silverfeather seemed to be more relaxed and approached Binary Code with a polite bow, Binary returned it with a stiff nod.

"I'm guessing the princess has sent you on some _important _terms?" Binary pushed, winking and adding a little smile to ease Silverfeather's nerves.

However, Silverfeather was even more confused and nervous as he tapped his hoof lightly on the ground, "Uh, is that code for something, sir? I'm not very adept to the whole "secrecy" part of the job."

Binary chuckled at the guard's anxiety, "Don't worry, buddy, I thought you had an important message from the princess."

Silverfeather appeared shocked at Binary Code, the Captain of the Royal Guard, calling him "buddy".

Binary sighed at the incompetence of the tense guard, "Well, what are you here for?" pressuring the guard with haste.

The guard suddenly got very serious, standing up straight and narrowing his eyes, "I was sent here by Officer Iron Spear, sir. He told me to tell you of a serious situation in Cloudsdale."

Binary tensed, Officer Iron Spear was a very prestigious commander of Equestria's military. He still served, but had demoted himself long ago so that he could relish on the battlefield before he died a 'soldier's death'.

"What's happened?" Binary asked, fear and excitement boiling inside him in anticipation.

Silverfeather cringed, "Cloudsdale authorities discovered the body of a dead mare inside an abandoned rain factory. She was apparently murdered by a serial killer. Officer Iron Spear is requesting your immediate presence; it's like a gross art show in there." His face recoiled at the thought of the apparently violent crime scene.

Binary clenched his jaw, he couldn't keep his emotions under control, a mix of shock, anger, and joy churned in his head, fueling his adrenaline.

He apparently wasn't looking very well according to Silverfeather's comment, "Sir, you don't look too well. Is everything alright?" he asked with concern.

Binary managed to nod, "Yes, everything's fine. It's just the altitude or something," he said with a dismissive wave, "Come inside, we'll discuss things there." Binary urged, beginning to walk back to the door. After a few steps, he looked back to notice that Silverfeather wasn't following, hesitance etched on his face.

"Aren't you coming, Lieutenant?" Binary asked.

Silverfeather gulped warily, "Sir, we need to go _immediately_."

Binary rolled his eyes, "If you haven't noticed, I can't fly." stating the obvious so that Silverfeather could focus on the task at hand.

"Well, I could carry you." The Lieutenant mumbled awkwardly.

Binary grinned, "Besides, I gotta grab my suit." He said as he reentered his base. This time, Silverfeather followed.

As they walked, Binary suddenly had a strange vision, it was only for a moment, but he saw what looked like drops of blood splattering on a concrete floor. A voice was there too, it called out with a warped croak, "Plip plop_._"


	2. Complications

Binary strode into the lab with such bravado, it seemed like he had conquered the world. He led Silverfeather past the drone assembly line, which had recently stopped production, and to his workspace in the Central Wing.

Instantly sliding into his seat, Binary began rapidly typing on his keyboard, which was very hard because of his large hooves. He felt Silverfeather's presence behind him, making Binary uneasy as he worked, scanning the many documents that appeared on-screen. After it got unbearable because of Silverfeather's breathing down his neck, Binary turned abruptly in his seat.

"Hate to ask of this, Lieutenant, but could you please just backup a little?" Binary asked as politely as he could. With a sheepish smile, Silverfeather retreated a few steps, but his eyes were still firmly glued to the screen.

"What is that thing?" Silverfeather asked in annoying curiosity, causing Binary to grit his teeth in frustration.

"It's a device that…..does things." Binary answered distractedly, focusing on his work as best as he could.

"How long is this going to take?" Silverfeather pestered, his voice drilling into Binary's head.

"Not…long." Binary managed to say, his face frozen in concentration.

"Can I-"Silverfeather began before stopping in surprise when Binary slammed his hoof down onto a button built into his desk.

"Wires, get down here." Binary growled into an intercom next to the button. After a minute, Wires poked his small head around the side of the desk.

"What's up, Code?" Wires asked, his eyes focusing on Silverfeather who was standing still with fear at the sudden outburst.

"I see you have a, uh, guest." Wires said warily, noticing the anger on Binary's face.

There was a slight pause, followed by a stiff nod by Binary. Silverfeather looked at Wires pleadingly.

"Yeah, this is Lieutenant Silverfeather of the Pony Division. He's got a serious case from Officer Iron Spear who's up in Cloudsdale with what appears to be a murder case." Binary replied gruffly.

Wires arched his eyebrow at Silverfeather, who nodded briskly.

Gazing back at Binary, Wires thought for a moment before answering, "Alright, I'll take him over to my station, and we'll piece together an official report. Wait, what are you-"Wires stopped, looked at Binary's screen to see a document on the 8R0NY suit.

"Binary, I don't think the 8R0NY suit is ready. You do remember the test is Monday, right?" Wires asked.

Binary nodded, his eyes glaring at the screen. After a moment, he typed something on the keyboard and a new page about the HUD system was displayed.

Wires sighed upon seeing the HUD information, which had "Incomplete" in bright-red on the status bar. "Code, you're being way too rash about this. I know you want to go outside out of boredom, but you gotta listen: the suit _isn't _ready. In fact, Circuit hasn't even installed the main thrusters yet. You go now, and you're going to end up falling out of the sky like a piece of lead. There's no way Silverfeather will be able to catch you." Wires explained in a serious tone.

Binary stood up, his face softening, "You're right, I'm being reckless, sorry. Go fill out the report and I'll suit up, in my royal armor," he paused to allow the meaning to get across, "and I'll meet you here so that we can travel by portal." He said, defeat heavy in his voice.

As he turned to walk to his quarters, Binary pat Silverfeather on his shoulder, "Sorry I got so mad at you, Silverfeather. I'm just not used to such pressure, that's why I moved up here." Binary gestured to the base around them as he apologized.

Binary watched them walk to the West Wing before rushing to his quarters. His quarters was a long, low-ceiling room that held various tables piled with maps and strategy books; his bed was pushed into the corner and a large balcony had been installed over the beautiful mountainous landscape of Northern Equestria. He rushed over to a display case in the wall, its glass visage holding his royal armor. He then hastily pulled it on, and rushed back out.

Instead of heading south which lead back to main lab, he rushed in the opposite direction towards the Vault. As expected, the Vault was where the trio of engineers kept all of their most secret documents, secure battle plans, and more miscellaneous items that needed to kept under lock and key. Typing in the intricate series of numbers for the passcode, the triple-layered titanium vault door slowly opened.

Rushing inside, Binary sped past the various locked drawers that lined the wall of the narrow hallway between the entrance and large storage area. He stopped once reaching the large area, which was filled with intricate, ancient drones that lay forgotten throughout the room. Ignoring them, Binary walked to the far end of the chamber, pushing in a certain brick within the wall, and watching a section of it peel back to reveal what he had come for. It was the unfinished 8R0NY suit, sealed in a glass case similar to where he kept his royal armor. Next, he tapped the passcode into the keypad next to the case, watching as the three-inch thick glass glided open silently, revealing the suit in its full glory.

The 8R0NY suit was designed as a full body, weaponized, armor that allowed the user to become nearly unstoppable in battle. It was made with a very rare element known as Ultiron, a highly-malleable, nearly indestructible, steel-like metal found several miles beneath the world's crust. The Ultiron had been formed for the basic frame of the suit, while the second layer was titanium before the third which was steel. The colors were a mix of dark blue and silver, coupled with blood-red optical sensors. Wires had designed a direct uplink chip implanted within the helmet of the suit, allowing it function very much like a real pony. That way, Binary could be in two places at once, allowing Wires to remotely control the suit from the base. Although much smaller and lighter than the typical drones built by the trio, the 8R0NY suit was installed with much more weapons than the ones fitted on the average drone. Most were neutralizing weapons, such as the taser and net launchers. However, Binary had insisted that Circuit had added lethal weapons such as a "machine gun" which shot high-speed "bullets", steel cylinders that pierced flesh in less than a second. Also, a laser system had been added for high-danger situations. The laser proved its worth when Circuit demonstrated its power by slicing through a five-foot steel pole with one swing.

Gently unlatching the harnesses that kept the suit standing, Binary slowly lowered it onto his back while cautiously resealing the Vault. Stealthily maneuvering towards the assembly line, Binary placed the suit on the conveyor belt and began to type on the control pad. He instructed the assembly line to outfit a temporary Air Series jetpack. Rather than making the assembly line machines weld the jet to the back of the suit, he had them place the pack onto the backside and Binary would manually tie it with fiber-steel cables for security.

Binary sighed, attempting to catch his breath while he watched the various robotic arms reach down to the suit which was sprawled on the conveyor belt, awaiting its short-term attachment.

Once the jetpack was lowered and secured firmly to the back of the suit, Binary hit the "Abort" button on the pad and rushed over with the spare cables used for holding up the drones while they went through the same process. He tied the cables tightly around the exterior of the pack before tying it securely on the "chest" of the suit. Satisfied, Binary hauled the suit over to the charging station. When they had built the base, Circuit insisted that all of the drones were to be powered by electricity rather than any fossil fuel such as natural gas or crude oil. Binary assumed that this made the drones weaker, but he was still pleased at their eventual outcome.

Attaching the large gray cable to the chest after prying open the chest-plate, Binary watched eagerly as the power surged into the suit. While he waited, he crept towards the West Wing to see what Wires was doing.

He peeked from behind a large server to see Silverfeather talking to Wires, who was typing on his computer, occasionally nodding to what Silverfeather was saying. Surprisingly, an Air Series drone was with them, standing idly, its sleek frame glinting off of the fluorescent lightbulbs hanging from the ceiling.

The Air Series were designed very similar to the Ground Series; however, they were much more streamlined so that they were could be more aerodynamic in the field. Their torsos bent inwards, helping the distinction between the Ground Series. That and the large wing-like jetpacks fused on their backs. They were also coated a light gray, rather than the Ground Series' black paint.

Binary snickered as he watched Silverfeather constantly glance back at the drone, even though it stood still the entire time. Silverfeather wasn't the only one who disliked the presence of the drones. After they had been commissioned for the first time, the citizens hid themselves in the safety of their homes for several weeks before they could tolerate the towering machines that patrolled the streets.

Hurrying back to the charging station to find the suit only at half-power, Binary cursed himself when he heard Wires calling out for him. He trotted back to the Central Wing to find Wires, the guard, and the drone waiting for him. Adjusting his royal guard helmet, Binary listened to Wires explain the plan.

"Alright, Code. We're going to send you to Cloudsdale with this drone, think you can handle that?" Wires asked. Binary nodded, this was going to be easy, but he still wanted to take the suit.

As they walked towards the door that let out onto the launchpad, Binary set up a portable status menu of the suit's charge so that he could monitor it in Cloudsdale via his electronic cuff.

Walking out onto the windy tarmac once more, they trio was briefed by Wires who would communicate with them using the drone or through Binary's cuff. Wires saluted to Silverfeather, by placing his hoof to his chest like he was supposed to. Nodding to Binary before running a final check on the drone, he smiled as the drone suddenly picked Binary up and blasted off into the sky, with Silverfeather following after.

It was a rather irritating journey to Cloudsdale. Although it only took five minutes, Binary was assaulted by the vicious air currents as they flew at a subsonic level. Thankfully, Wires had preset the drone to fly slower than usual, as the drones could fly as fast as supersonic when needed, which would literally peel the skin off of Binary's body.

As they approached the spectacle of Cloudsdale, Binary was amazed at how skillfully the pegasi had crafted the city made of clouds, making it seem almost dream-like. The irregular sloping pattern of the unpredictable clouds made the city unique in its own form of "architecture". The various buildings of Cloudsdale had been built inside of the clouds, ice crystals were compacted into forming complex pillars to structure of the houses. What amazed Binary the most, were the rainbows. Various factories within Cloudsdale supplied rainbows by pooling the essence of colors into a beautiful mixture, so that they later could cascade from the sky. Even now, he could see the pre-rainbows flowing from large gold basins, were they later be poured into clouds before being taken out for use in nature.

As they rapidly approached the city, the drone sloped upwards, so that the city rushed by underneath them. As Binary scanned the various streets, some made from compacted ice crystals, he saw the large crowds of pegasi wandering far below. They eventually flew over the many weather factories within the industrial district of Cloudsdale. From the gloomy rain factories, to the vibrant lightning factories, each and every one awed Binary.

Suddenly, Silverfeather swooped in next to the drone. "Isn't this amazing, Captain?" he implored, a wild grin on his face.

Unable to keep a straight face, Binary smiled back. "Honestly, I've never seen anything like it. Hopefully I can visit here more often once my suit is done." He answered, speaking in an excited rush.

At the moment, Cloudsdale was considered a city "not on Equestrian soil". So, Binary and the drones weren't allowed to visit the city on military business; unless it was approved by the Princess. That led for Binary to ignore the city, as it wasn't in his limits, unfortunately.

Finally, the drone released Binary at the front of an old, abandoned factory complex on the very outskirts of Cloudsdale. The drone followed Binary as he ducked under the yellow caution tape. However, it chose to stand guard outside rather than following Binary inside. After brushing past a few sullen pegasi cops, who Silverfeather fell in line with; Binary spotted Officer Iron Spear standing in front a plastic curtain within the building.

Binary approached Iron Spear who was captivated by his paperwork which has hastily put onto a clipboard. Releasing a slight "ahem", Binary gradually caught his attention.

From what he had read in the Canterlot Archives, Binary discovered that the old stallion was once a Major within the Equestrian Army. He had served in at least three wars and was still up for the job at the age of 54. However, age had taken its toll on the die-hard cop who had now developed deep wrinkles in his pale hide. His brown hair was already grizzled, along with his completely gray goatee. Binary found it amazing that these traits were paired with his dark-blue eyes that seemed to literally weigh down on Binary's soul. Although he was a unicorn, the old Officer had seemed to easily adapt to Cloudsdale's different lifestyle of elevation sickness and short supply of oxygen.

Iron Spear gazed at Binary with his almost ghostly eyes, "Glad you could come, Captain. The pegasi here managed to find the body this morning because of a trail of blood leading all the way to this factory. It started _all the way into the city_." Iron Spear explained, making sure to stress the fact that the trail seemed to have been made obvious.

Binary nodded, taking in all of the information as best he could.

"Then, we bust into this place all 'cop-like' and we find the poor mare over there," he said, gesturing beyond the curtain, "her neck is cut completely open. All chained up, too, not sure what to do now. She was obviously murdered because of all of that blood splattered everywhere." He finished, shaking his head on disgust.

Binary's nodding slowed a bit, his eyes narrowing as he took in all of the information. "You performed the basics, I presume?" Binary asked.

Biting his lip, Iron Spear took a moment before answering, "Yup, scanned the area for hoof-marks and searched for evidence, if that's what you mean." He narrowed his eyes at Binary, "You gonna take notes or something, Captain?" Iron Spear inquired, taking notice of Binary's inactivity.

Binary grinned and tapped his hoof to his head, "Got all of the info I need right here, Officer. Besides, I'm gonna record it in the official report later." He shrugged, allowing himself to be slightly cocky for the day.

Officer Iron Spear wasn't pleased, "Listen here, colt. I may be an old stallion and a lower rank than you, but that doesn't mean I don't know what I'm doing. So, if you're done mocking me, can you get one of those vile robots in here to work its magic?" He said, gritting his teeth and keeping his eyes narrowed for effect.

First, Binary _hated _when ponies referred to his technology as "magic", especially from a grumpy, washed-up unicorn. It was the art of science being used to help a pony's problems; still, he was still curious how actual "magic" worked. Second, Binary despised ponies who hated his drones. They were the ideal, flawless peacekeepers he had built in order to save the lives of many ponies throughout Equestria. Not some metal maniacs who ruled over the pony population.

Keeping himself calm and composed, the face of a true leader, Binary activated his cuff's holographic display and summoned the Air Series drone. As the drone compressed itself through the tiny doorway, it managed to scare the pegasi police force who scrambled out of its way. Upon reaching them, the drone did a quick-scan of Iron Spear before giving him the new royal guard salute. Unnervingly, Iron Spear gave the drone the old salute, glaring at it as if hoping to destroy it.

Binary sighed at the aggravation of the old stallion, "Okay, I need you to perform a detailed crime-scene scan." He commanded the drone, after a few moments of processing this, the high-pitched voice of Wires came in over the drone's radio, "Got it covered." He said as the drone walked away from them and past the curtain.

Binary gave Iron Spear a dirty look before pushing past the opaque plastic curtain and witnessing the horrendous massacre that taken place.

The drone had stepped off to the side, giving off a series of blue beams from its sensor that stretched across the blood-slicked floor while it scanned.

The mare had been hung in the exact center of the factory, her body propped up by chains on either side of her body. The chains extended upwards by a pulley system, where they then reached down before being firmly bolted to the ground. Likewise, her legs had been also shackled by chains, but these chains reached down immediately before being similarly bolted to the concrete floor. A makeshift noose had been using a pulley and a brick, which tied to the mare's hair, pulling back her head so that it showed her neck in all of its malicious glory.

Her neck had been viciously slashed open, just like Iron Spear had stated, leaving a gaping hole under her head. Binary could see her coat had once been yellow, but now it had been stained a revolting shade of orange. Similarly, her mane and tail, which had been a vibrant orange, had been dyed a dark red. Her eyes were still open, formerly forest-green; they now had faded with the coming of death, giving it a milky-white complexion. Most surprisingly, was that her cutie mark had been cut off, rather cruelly, and probably while she was still alive, leaving an awkward patch of pink muscle.

"_After the killing was done, the killer must have spread all of this blood everywhere to show his intentions." _Binary hypothesized as he walked the perimeter, inspecting the body from a distance for more details. Binary assumed his guess was right because of the deflated look to the corpse.

Suddenly, Officer Iron Spear's voice piped in nearby, "I think her name was, uh," he began to check the various papers on his clipboard, "Golden Harvest."

Binary ignored the Officer's comment and looked expectantly at the idle drone. As anticipated, Wires voice called out, "Actually, even though her cutie mark was removed, the DNA on the blood matches a sample found in the Equestrian Medical Bureau. Her name was Carrot Top; she worked in the market in Ponyville, selling various crops she grew in her small garden. According to the official security cameras live feed, a strange figure can be seen leaving her house early last night. Her cutie mark was a triad of carrots." Wires clarified, never pausing for a breath.

"Also, 'Golden Harvest' was found to be her cousin. They look quite similar, so I believe that would cause confusion." Wires corrected Iron Spear's earlier assumption.

Officer Iron Spear seemed to chew for a moment, "Don't suppose you have a fancy-schmancy 'criminal tracker'?" he inquired.

Binary heard Wires sigh, "No, sorry, wait, what is that!?" he said suddenly in a panicked tone.

"What's going on?" Binary asked, preparing for the unknown.

Instead of hearing Wires's reply, the drone suddenly turned and left. As it hurried towards the exit, Binary could hear it speaking in its deep, monotone voice, "Unidentified hostile incoming. ETA 10 seconds." It rumbled as it walked away.

Binary glanced warily at Officer Iron Spear before rushing outside. When he reached the door he saw a shape rapidly approaching them via the sky, and it was heading straight for Silverfeather who was distracted by a scroll he was reading.

The drone's arm opened and tried to zap the object, but missed entirely.

Silverfeather turned upwards abruptly to see what the commotion was about. As he turned, the figure tackled him as it landed. It was a strange-looking aerial drone, which released a strange chirp as it lifted its head.

Trying to call out for him to move, Binary began to yell as loud as he could, but he knew he was too late. Lying underneath the drones was the skewered body of former Lieutenant Silverfeather, who was dead before he hit the floor, his eyes rolled back into his head and his mouth leaking a trickle of blood. The drone slowly pulled out a jointed, metal tail from the lightly twitching Silverfeather and hissed like a kettle in anger.

Its frame seemed to have been made of a steel chassis, causing random welded lines across the drone's exterior. It had yellow eyes that reminded Binary of electrical lights built into poles on the street. The drone also had a mane of pale yellow chords that hung loosely from its metal head. It also had wings which it displayed aggressively, showing off wickedly sharp feathers that glinted in the sunlight.

Binary pulled up the menu of his cuff as the strange drone tackled the Air Series mech. Binary swallowed a lump in his throat as he pushed a large red button marked "Emergency Assistance", and he could feel the 8R0NY suit coming to life back in the base.

**-Pick POV-**

Steel Pick awoke to the sun's annoying rays glaring into his eyes, even behind the shield of my eyelids. He cursed Celestia's name as he fell from his bed and onto the dirty carpeted floor, groaning at the sudden, rude awakening.

He was born here in the tenements of Fillydelphia and had been working in the mines since he could walk. Usually, ponies find mines creepy and horrifying; personally, he practically lived in the mines of Fillydelphia. Pick was mining day in and day out, smashing iron ore from the veins of the earth.

When he wasn't digging, he lived with his father after his mother had died when he was young. Leaving only two ponies that would wake every morning to work in the iron mines a few blocks from their "home".

Pick had learned how scary the mines could be from a traumatic experience when he was only a colt; a miner had been trapped after a cave-in occurred. He had been pinned by his legs under the fallen rubble when his company was attempting to flee the collapsing tunnel. Pick was still a foal so he was nearly trampled by the fear-stricken ponies trying to escape from certain death.

After the first few rocks had begun to fall from the ceiling, Pick's company flew into panic when they noticed a large boulder nearly flatten one of the miners. They ran to the lift at the main nexus of the cave system as quickly as they could, but didn't get far before the mouth of their tunnel buckled, burying almost 50 miners alive, including the young Pick.

The small section where they were trapped was safe from collapsing as the rumbling of falling debris had stopped. However, the problem was that a large group of ponies were now imprisoned by rubble. The worst part for Pick was their screams.

It started with the heavy breathing of the miners huddled in the dark; they began slamming themselves against the sealed passage. They began to yell and shriek in fear when the wreckage wouldn't budge, and on top of that, the single light fixture built into the support beam unexpectedly went out. After being plunged into pitch-darkness the screams seemed to magnify with intensity as the miners were left in the dark tomb for the final hours of their lives.

The only way Pick had survived was because he had wandered into some rocks that were part of the rubble. Squeezing his small frame in-between the tiny gap, he curled up and began to cry at the thought that he would never see the light of day again.

Suddenly, he heard shuffling and heard a voice call out, "Hey, I found some matches!"

That was an immediate death sentence; any smart pony would never, ever set up any sort of flame in a mine shaft in fear of a gas leak. The miners tried to call out in protest, but their throats were rubbed raw from the screaming and crying.

The last thing Pick saw of the ponies in the shaft was their faces in agony and terror as the match lit up. The passageway was replaced with a blinding flash and a loud bang for a brief second before it was filled with acrid smoke. Pick had been temporarily deafened as he lost all feeling while his body was literally blown away by the explosion.

When he awoke, Pick was in the nexus of the many tunnels, surrounded by the few medics the mining company could offer, all four of them treating his wounds.

In the aftermath, Pick's entire body had been given severe third-degree burns, mostly his right forehoof, which had been seared down to the bone in some places by the pure heat. Pick was the only survivor of the explosion. The rest of the ponies had been either too close or openly exposed to the blast. Pick's small body had mostly been protected by the large rocks that he had wedged himself into.

His father was infuriated at the fact that Pick had been accepted into the idea of putting a foal into manual labor so early in life, allowing him to be exposed to the many different forms of hazards. However, Pick's father had no other choice, his son was of the legal working age in Fillydelphia and the pair needed the bits desperately.

Begging the mining company for some proper medical treatment, who declined, saying they had to focus their money on repairing the tunnel for use again. He then tried to take the matter to Canterlot for the Princess herself to assess, but she had to decline because of "more important problems".

Miraculously, Pick healed from the burns after a year, but the flesh was still uneven in places on his forehoof. His side also bore marks of his tragic experience, large stretches of tender flesh, discolored by the concentrated heat of the blast.

Each and every day, Pick forced himself out of bed to stare in hatred at the sun. The very thing maintained by the alicorn who had denied him proper treatment. Then, he would walk down the street with his father; they would enter the lift within the factory complex before descending into the bowels of the ground. They would each grab a pickaxe and begin in their assigned channels for eight hours of work followed by a brief lunch. Following that, they would continue for another eight hours before returning to the tenement to heal their sore muscles. Then, Pick would drift into a nightmare that seemed to last forever, which was filled with darkness, explosions, and screams.

Today was no different as father and son trudged towards the towering building in the distance of their homes, which stood over the ghettos as a concrete tyrant who imposed on their every action.

As they exited the elevator, Pick's father turned to his son with a sympathetic smile, "Don't worry, Pick, everything will be fine soon, we should have enough bits to move to a neighborhood in Manehattan within a few months."

Pick sighed, "Dad, Manehattan won't be any different than here."

His father smiled and shook his head, oblivious to the fact that his son was right, Manehattan was just like Fillydelphia, but just slightly cleaner, with more "preps" than here.

"Prep" was a term created by Pick for the rich and snobby people who lived in the clean and perfect homes in downtown Fillydelphia, and as always, he utterly hated them.

"Trust me, Pick, everything will be fine, just have enough faith." Pick's father said as he hefted his pick over his shoulder and marched off into his assigned tunnel, marked "B" over the entrance.

Pick rolled his eyes and grabbed a pick for himself, and practically dragged his tired body into shaft "C" which he was assigned to.

As he neared his digging spot, Pick slapped a helmet onto his head, placed the handle of his pickaxe between his teeth, and began to swing his pick into the wall of stone. After a while of the monotonous swinging, he began to let his thoughts to meander as he imagined what a life as a prep would be like. It was fine at first, but then he became disgusted at how he could live like such a repulsive creature. Stuck in their "perfect" lives, spending money and being the snobby fools that they typically are.

Pick's mind unintentionally wandered into the thought of the accident that had happened in the same shaft he was working in now. He began to strike harder as the memories got more intense, especially when he remembered his father telling him that Princess Celestia had rejected the treatment that could save him the months of painful recovery. Pick thought about taking his pickaxe and driving it into her skull as he swung with hatred.

The pick hit the wall with such force that the handle snapped off and the pickaxe clattered to the ground. A few ponies nearby looked over in surprise at Pick, who was puffing in anger and rage. Then, they turned to look at the broken pickaxe on the floor.

Glaring at the other ponies gaping at him, Pick attempted to scare them by punching the wall. There was a loud "_CRUNCH!" _followed by the miners dropping their pickaxes and scuttling backwards in panic.

Pick turned and gazed at the large cracks that had appeared from his punch. They spread along the wall like a fossilized spider-web, stretching from the floor to the ceiling. Grinning at the sudden thought that his sudden strength had given, he called out, "Hey, somepony send down the cart!"

After a moment of being frozen in fear, the miners slid an empty minecart towards Pick on the track that traveled down the middle of the tunnel. As the cart neared Pick, he turned and began smashing his forehooves into the rock. He watched with glee as the stone gave way easily under his blows. Next, he began shoveling the heaps of stone and piling it into the cart.

Soon, he had filled the entire cart, which was sent back up to the nexus while Pick continued to excavate more stone. Shortly after, he had struck an iron vein which resulted with a cheer from the previously dumbfounded crowd. Once he finished unearthing the entire vein, Pick stretched his muscles before pushing the full cart up to the nexus.

As he traveled up the tunnel, Pick was met with cheers, pats on the back, and words of encouragement. Smiling proudly, Pick strolled into the nexus with his cart of pure iron and docked it in inspection. Beaming with the gratifying gawk he got from the inspector who appeared to be looking rather sour as he examined the other carts of rock.

Pick waited for him to regain his composure and write down Pick's ID number before handing him a special ticket that allowed Pick the bonus pay for an iron find. As Pick turned to walk away, the inspector called out to him and he spun back to see the inspector offering another ticket.

"You've literally given me the entire vein, Mr. Pick; you deserve another ticket." He explained. Pick thanked him dearly as he searched for his father before the lunch bell.

Just at the bell rang out, it was met with a loud series of bangs from the surface and then, the ceiling began to collapse.

The miner surrounding Pick began to scream in fear as they ran from the large chunks of concrete and steel girders.

Alarmingly, the lights began to stutter, followed by their complete failure as they died out. Pick's body shuddered as he suddenly realized that he had been reburied in hell.


	3. Terror

The large cavern trembled, causing the series of electric lights to flicker around Pick as he looked on in horror.

All of the miners gazed up at the dark void that made up the ceiling of the cave. The weak lights that hung periodically above the tunnels couldn't reach high enough to illuminate the large, empty expanse above.

Large echoes of what sounded like explosions rang out hauntingly as Pick kept his eyes glued to the murky space that imposed from above.

The first chunk of stone came down like a hawk about to catch a mouse.

The miners watched on in terror as the large slab suddenly fell from the gloom and crushed a fellow worker without mercy; thankfully, the block was large enough to cover the carnage of the pony's death. However, Pick could imagine the revolting image of what was once the pony's body being reduced to flattened flesh under the rock.

The miners were silent for a moment, transfixed in fear as they stared at the abrupt death. This brief instant of quiet mourning reminded Pick of a few minutes earlier. It was exactly the same when he had displayed his brute strength in the tunnel, and as was before, the peace was brusquely ruined. This time, however, by screams and yells instead of cheers and hollers. Following this, the nexus flew into chaos.

The large, scattered group of miners assembled in the cave instantly swarmed the elevator, the only way out of the tunnels, and Pick stood watching. He was frozen in place, unsure whether to move and save himself or to let himself be buried under the stone.

A panicked wave of ponies slammed into him as they rushed for their salvation, causing Pick to be thrown to the ground and literally trampled on by fear-stricken ponies.

Quickly shielding his face, Pick managed to bear the heavy hooves stomping on his defenseless body. He couldn't do anything but take it as he was ruthlessly assaulted.

Pick thought back to the last accident in the mines, the cave-in with the miners crying out in the dark as they awaited their deaths. Pick had already stared death in the face once, and now he was going face-to-face with it again. This time, he was prepared to accept his fate.

A large hoof had pushed down on his head, making Pick feel as if his soul was being pushed closer to the abyss of death. As the light faded, a single image in Pick's mind burst through the darkness and gave him a kind memory before he died.

The image was of Pick and his father sitting on their run-down tenement's balcony, gazing out onto the imposing city.

Pick remembered the conversation as if he was having it at that moment. The sights and sounds quickly rushing back to him.

"_What'd you think it's like to live like one of those-what do you call them again?" _his father had asked, sipping his cider thoughtfully.

"_I call 'em 'Preps'." _Pick had answered, smiling slightly at his idea.

His father had eyed him curiously, _"Why do you call them that?" _

Pick had shrugged, _"I thought it was clever. 'Prep' kinda reminds me of somepony who is 'preppy' which means young foals who're basically 'set for life', you know what I mean?"_

Pick's father's eyes narrowed for a moment, _"Like they know what they'll become later in life?"_

"_Sort of, it's more like this: because they're so rich, 'Preps' can basically do whatever they want, when they want. All of that, with the power of money." _Pick explained.

Looking distributed, Pick's father retorted, _"Now, Pick. Just because there're ponies out there with more money than us, that doesn't mean that they're automatically scum or something. You're just mad that you aren't one of them."_

"_I know you feel the same way!" _the younger Pick had huffed. He had stuck out his tongue in anger and his father had simply rolled his eyes.

Pick's father had suddenly sighed after a moment of pause, _"I hate to say it, but you're kind of right, Pick. I _do_ wish we were wealthier," _he paused, lost in thought while gazing into his cup, he then noticed Pick's smug grin and scowled, _"Not like that! I meant that we would have enough money to live a normal life, in a normal neighborhood, with the hope of a successful future for you. Heck, I wished I could've sent you to school, even for a few years. Would've helped you a lot." _He said with a melancholy look on his face. Pick would have understood this now, but back then, he was rather hot-headed.

"_I heard school is evil, especially with the Preps there." _He had said with a shudder, taking a large gulp from his cup to soothe the horrid thought.

Pick's father had simply shaken his head; once more watching the skyline of Fillydelphia as it was silhouetted by the setting sun.

"_Dad?" _the young Pick croaked suddenly.

His father taken aback at the sad tone, looked at Pick with surprise. _"What's wrong?" _his father asked, sliding closer to Pick.

"_Do you t-think-" _Pick had started, his voice catching as sudden tears had flowed from his eyes, _"-That mom would have w-wanted me to go to s-school?" _

"_Of course, she would have wanted her only son to have a proper education to grow-up to be a great stallion." _His father whispered, embracing the trembling Pick.

"_Just like you?" _Pick asked, his voice muffled by his father's coat.

Laughing quietly, Pick's father squeezed his son even tighter, _"Even _better _than me Pick. One of my sayings is, 'One day the colt will outrace the stallion'." _

Pressed against his father, Pick had smiled. He loved his father's sayings, such as "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." And, "To reach one's goals, one must pull the cart to the top of the hill."

Continuing his speech, Pick's father released his son so that he could see the city around them.

"_Imagine this was all gone." _His father had stated, gesturing with his hoof to the city.

"_Now, imagine us, with your mother, living on a nice farm out in the countryside. I prefer farm-work more than I'll ever appreciate work in the mines." _His father explained with a dreamy look on his face.

"_But dad, you said work in the mines makes us strong!" _the young colt reminded his father.

Chortling heartily, Pick's father continued, _"That's right, but remember, the mines are _never_ a place to fool around in, got it?" _

The young Pick nodded enthusiastically, _"I know, dad, but that's what you _did _say." _

That remark got a smile, _"Yeah, but you and me both would enjoy being on a farm more than this."_

"_Dad, do you think mom would enjoy the farm too?" _

A sad smile spread on Pick's father's lips, _"Yes, she would _love _it. She told me it once, said that once we made enough bits, we could move to a big, beautiful space in the country."_

"_I know this is silly, dad; but do you think mom _really_ loved me?" _Pick blurted out.

"_Of course she did. Why wouldn't she? You were her filly, and that makes it _necessary_._" his father chided, his expression taken aback.

There was a long pause, followed by Pick's father sipping his cider and starting a new topic.

"_Did you know I met Princess Celestia once?" _he began, smiling shrewdly at Pick, who suddenly frowned.

"_Well, yeah, didn't you talk to her after the 'you-know-what' happened?" _Pick asked, referencing the accident in the mine. He never mentioned it directly, in fear of pulling the terrors into his head.

Grinning, Pick's father abruptly shrugged, _"Kind of. Back then, I only sent my request by letter, and the reply was returned by letter as well. However, a few months ago, she visited the executive's office when I was passing through to hand-in the weekly punch-ins. She was in one of their big meeting rooms, _surrounded _by guards. Not surprisingly, to think that you're going to be fine inside the factory, with where we live and all. Anyway, I was watching her for a bit, then, she looked right at me, and _nodded_." _There was a grin plastered on his face as he watched his son's puzzled look with satisfaction.

"_But you didn't _meet _her." _Pick corrected.

"_No, but she _noticed _me. It's as if, she _knew _who I was." _His father had said a confident smile on his face.

Pick eyed him suspiciously, _"Dad, have you been drinking the cider with that weird _stuff _again?" _

Pick's father bellowed with laughter, _"Of course not. I stopped that a while ago, trust me." _

"_Then what happened?" _Pick asked.

"_Eh, nothing much. The guards outside got suspicious and pushed me out of there, but yeah, I met the Princess."_ He said the confident smile returning.

"_Sorry, dad, but you didn't _meet _her, you just _saw_ her and she _supposedly _nodded to you. To be honest, that's not very impressive at all." _Pick countered coldly.

Pick's father arched an eyebrow, _"You'd be surprised how _amazing_ it feels to be in her presence, Pick. It's absolutely heart-warming." _A dreamy stupor dawned on his face as he described it.

"_Oh, please, get the love-sick pony some help!" _Pick mocked.

His father appeared hurt, _"Look, I have respect for the Princess for running Equestria, it's tough business. Don't start pinning things like that on me again."_

"_You _respect _her!? By the stars, what is _wrong_ with you, dad!? We're talking about _the _alicorn who almost let me _die_, and you have _respect _for her?" _Pick screamed.

Flabbergasted, Pick's father tried to quite his son, _"_Please_, Pick. You need to calm down; I meant I have respect for her ability to keep the nation stable. Granted, that I am _very _displeased that she denied you aid, but still, it's _different _around her." _

Pick placed his now empty cider cup on the ground and stared at the discolored patches on the coat of his forehooves, _"I'm sorry. I'm just mad after what happened." _

His father pat Pick on the back as he gathered the cups and stood, _"I know she did the wrong thing, Pick. But _please_, try to think of her as one who could _help _you in the future, unlike what she did in the past." _

Pick considered this for a moment before responding, _"I don't know what's wrong with me dad, but one day, one day she'll be at _my_ mercy and I won't_ _help her."_ He said, gazing out onto the city.

Pick's father gazed worriedly at his son for a moment before retreating into their apartment. Pick sat silently on the rickety balcony for a while before withdrawing with the sun. When he entered, he found his father looking quite tired on the worn couch. He ignored his father and went for the bedroom, but what stopped by his father calling for him. He reentered to see his father propped up on the couch, dark bags under his eyes.

"_Look, Pick. You're going to be your own stallion one day, and you know it. Now, I won't stop you for the things you want to do, but remember, just don't do anything stupid." _He said with a weak smile before his eyes drooped and he collapsed exhausted on the couch. Pick smiled and went for to his bed, as he lay there, trying to fall asleep, he thought about his favorite quote from his father. It was, 'Kill a pony, and you are but a murderer; but if you kill a god, you are now a god as well.' He chuckled to himself as strange, murderous thoughts clouded his mind before he fell asleep.

The sheer pounding of the rocks as they hit the ground, shook Pick from his trance and forced a blood-chilling thought into his consciousness.

'_I need to get dad!' _Pick suddenly realized as his mind began to darken once more.

Using the thought to launch himself off the ground, Pick began knocking away startled ponies as they hurried towards the now crowded elevator lift. Pick stretched his sore, trampled body and sneered in hate at the naïve ponies.

The elevator was designed to carry groups of up to twenty ponies at a time, but at the moment, it was crowded with over fifty ponies, all scrabbling for the button panel that could save their lives.

"Fools," An old miner said nearby as he observed the frantic attempt to press the button, "That lift is _far _tooold to take all of them. They're abusing that button, too. They are sealing their fates with their fear."

As if predicting the future, the cries of anguish rang out as the large mass of miners pulled away from the lift and began going insane at the thought of their deaths. As they backed off, Pick noticed that the button had been ripped from its spot on the wall and now lay broken on the ground.

Turning to see the disarray that had broken out, Pick watched as the large crowd of ponies dispersed and were now scrambling around to survive. Some had taken shelter in the corners of the large cavern, pressing their bodies to the wall in hopes of avoiding the rocks. Others kneeled in prayer as the rubble crashed down dangerously close-by, nearly killing them. Pick scoffed at the thought of using prayer as a form of salvation, Celestia couldn't help them. The miners had to simply wait for death to bring them out of this artificial hell and into the real one.

Pick began to scan the collapsing area, watching as more varied-sized hunks of concrete flooring and steel girders fell to the ground, sometimes snatching a hapless miner's life instantly.

Hurrying to the tunnel marked "C", Pick slipped past many miners all struggling to escape their fate. The "C" tunnel was located in the northeast corner of the irregular hexagonal shaped cavern that housed six tunnels which all sloped downwards. As he neared the tunnel, Pick saw a small squad of ponies rush out before the entrance support collapsed.

A figure was suddenly sliding under the falling debris in order to save himself, Pick had no choice but to watch on in horror as the miner was pinned by the collapsing debris. He could see the miner was trapped up to his chest, struggling to free himself.

Pick rushed over to the miner, carefully avoiding the large boulders falling around him. As he neared, Pick cursed Celestia's name as he neared the trapped miner whose squirming were getting weaker.

He could see the pony's helmet rolling away after the impact. The miner coughed, sending a small spurt of scarlet blood out of his mouth and dribbling down his chin.

Pick ducked into a slide before stopping next to the trapped pony, he noticed it was his father weakly lifting his head to gaze at his son.

"You still here, Pick?" he asked, a faint whistling uttering from his lips, meaning the debris had punctured his lungs.

"Of course, dad, of course." Pick muttered, choking back tears as he struggled to raise a wooden beam.

His father chuckled lightly, stopping to viciously cough up more blood.

"Celestia, this job is getting pretty hard to work with, huh?" he joked. Pick wanted to laugh it off too, but he just couldn't.

Keeping up the beam with his right hoof, Pick turned to position another broken section underneath to lift the crushing weight from his father's body. Then, he examined the damage done from the collapse.

Pick wanted to shrivel up and die. A large, extremely sharp splinter that seemed to resemble a wooden stake was driven through his father's lower back and alongside his spine.

"How bad is it?" his father asked, the whistle of his punctured lungs setting Pick on-end.

Not wanting to lie to his father, Pick managed to say, "Pretty bad, I'm afraid there's a large piece of wood in your back. Can you feel it?"

His father was quite for a moment, as if processing the information he had just heard.

"No, no, I can't." he managed growling in pain.

Pick cursed softly as he tilted his head to look at the stake from a horizontal angle. He saw that the stake had slightly snapped when it impaled his father, causing it to bend just enough to run along his spine.

"You can't get it out, can you?" his father whispered, nearly inaudible by the sounds in the cavern.

Grimacing, Pick thought what he should do. He found it plausible to attempt to hold-up the other side of the debris and attempt to smash through the stake, allowing him to pull his father free without bothering the piece in his back.

"Well?" his father pushed, his breathing getting harsher. Pick gulped before leaping over his father's body and lifting up the other half of the support beam, allowing him to pin it up with another dislodged rock that lay nearby.

After he had raised the collapsed beam, Pick turned to face the stake that had pierced his father and took a deep breath as he tried to gather his strength.

After a moment, his father interrupted impatiently, "What are you doing, Pick? You're wasting your time here, just go!"

Choosing not to reply, Pick tensed his body before throwing out his right hoof and smashing it against the wood. The result was a satisfying crack as the wood split from the blow, causing it to bend inwards. Taking another breath, Pick threw out another punch, managing to completely sever the stake.

"Pick, buddy, listen to me. _It's over. _You can't do anything for me, save yourself while you can." He stressed, placing his hoof on Pick's foreleg.

Pick stared intently into his father's eyes for a moment, gazing into his vivid, green irises.

"No point leaving now, dad. The others broke the lift, we're trapped down here." Pick said quietly, pivoting his body to study the stake in his father's back.

Horror dawned on his father's face as Pick positioned his head to get a better look at the stake.

"Oh Celestia, we've damned ourselves in this Tartarus." Pick's father said miserably, looking down in shame.

"S'Not your fault, dad. We were pulled into this by fate." Pick reassured his father as he chipped at the top of the stake with his hooves to form a makeshift handle.

"Forgive me, Marigold, please." His father murmured as he began to sob.

Patting his weeping dad on his shoulder, Pick stood above him and planted his hoof under the handle.

"Alright, dad. You need to be strong and take this, okay?" Pick calmed his father with a reassuring pat before placing both hooves under the handle and pulling with all of his might. There was a sickening ripping noise, coupled with his father's shrieks before Pick managed to pull out the stake.

There was an awkward moment filled with Pick's father choked-up sobs, before Pick inspected the wound once more. He had pulled out a majority of the stake, but found a large splinter still embedded within his coat.

Pick cursed loudly and punched the ground, cracking it. Pick's father stopped his crying for a moment.

"What's wrong now?" his father moaned, his body trembling in pain.

Biting his lip for a moment, Pick answered with, "I got most of it out, but there's still a sliver left."

"How much more?" his father cried out.

"I can't really tell, but it's a long piece. Maybe if I place my hoof in the right place-"Pick started before being cut-off by his angry father.

"By the heavens, Pick! _Let me be. _Please. It'll be less trouble for you. I'm a dead pony now; you don't have to die here." He pleaded, banging his hoof on the ground in emphasis.

"Trust me, dad. I'm as much as a dead pony as you are. There's no way out now." Pick reasoned.

"Look, go to the pickaxe rack. Take two of them and wrap them around your hooves with medical gauze; then, you can climb up." His father explained.

Pick sighed, "Now you're just being ridiculous. "

"Just trust me, Pick. Go while you can." His father implored.

Pick grit his teeth; he had no better option but to take his father's advice. The rocks had stopped falling, but they had left a gory graveyard from their assault. Blood was pooling everywhere around the nexus, making a pond of crimson liquid. Not wasting any more time, Pick galloped over to the pickaxe supply and plucked two of them from the rack. He then hurried over to the medical station and pulled a roll of gauze from one of the first aid kits mounted on the wall.

As he trotted back to his pinned father, he weaved around the large boulders, nearly slipping on the slick blood coated on the floor. When he returned, he tied the pickaxes to his forehooves tightly with the gauze. Testing them, he swung, slicing through the air swiftly.

His father grinned, "Good, good. Alright, before you go Pick, you have to do something for your old stallion."

"Already on it." Pick replied as he walked over to the cave-in and began striking at the stone.

"No, stop that. You'll never get through in time. Listen carefully. Stand in front of me." His father commanded.

Pick obeyed hesitantly, positioning the pickaxes away from his father's face.

"Okay, you're going to have to listen to me, colt. You ready?" he asked.

"I'm ready."

"Alright, it's going to be a long while before I'm gone, bleeding out and such. So, I want you to end it quickly." His father explained.

Before Pick could protest, his father raised his hoof to silence him, "I know you don't want to do it, but you have to _help _me, Pick."

"I want to help you, just not like _that_!" Pick cried out.

Tears were rolling down his father's cheeks, "You have to, buddy. _Please_. Your mother's waiting for me. Help me one last time." He begged.

"By the stars, dad. I want to _save _you, not _kill _you!"

The tears got more intense, "Even if you pull me out of here, you'll still have to bring me topside somehow. I doubt you can carry me while you climb. Even if you do get me up there, I'll probably go out from blood loss. It's the end, I'm sorry." He said.

Pick considered this for a moment; tears of his own began to stream down his face. "I _really _don't want to d-d-do this, d-dad; but if there is you _no other_ way. I guess you leave me n-n-no c-choice." He stammered, slowly raising one of the pickaxes.

"Wait," his father gestured with his hoof, "Let me say my compensations."

Pick lowered the pickaxe slowly, watching with curiosity as his father murmured quietly. "Did you, just pray?" Pick asked inquisitively.

After he was done, his father nodded solemnly, "Yeah, kinda wanted to thank everything about my life and stuff."

Pick was intrigued, "Did you pray to the Princess?"

Another nod, "Yes, to both of the Royal Sisters actually."

"I see." Pick replied.

His father raised an eyebrow, "Does that bother you?"

Pick tensed, "Yes." He answered.

His father looked disappointed, "I can already see what you're going to do after you get out of here."

Pick nodded, "You probably know. What I can tell you is that'll take quite a while, with her power and all."

Scowling, his father responded with, "I see. Well, Pick, I guess it's, time." He said breathlessly.

Pick swallowed the lump in his throat before bringing the pickaxe up again. "I'm sorry it has to end this way." Pick apologized.

"It had to happen sometime. I guess today's the day the colt outran the stallion." He said with a sorrowful smirk.

As Pick smiled sadly and began the swing. As he swung, he heard his father's last words right before they were cut-off by the sickening thud of the metal pick burying into flesh.

"Remember, Pick. Don't do anything stupid."

With that, his father slumped to the ground, the pick promptly placed in the crown of his head.

His father was dead, his life taken by his son's hand. There was a moment of silence, for a memorial to his father. Then, Pick screamed like a madpony as he pulled the pickaxe from its resting place and galloped for the wall. He lunged for the stone and struck the pickaxes into the rock with an animalistic roar.

Grunting like a beast, Pick scaled the wall in anger as he left the souls of the lost miners to rot in the caves below, moaning and screaming. Just like in his nightmares.

**-Binary POV-**

Binary watched in horror as the strange, pony-like drone went to work on the Air Series drone. It clicked satisfied as it tore through the husk of the robot, peeling back the steel chassis and ripping out the various cables and gears.

Retreating slowly, Binary pulled up his holographic menu and checked the status of the suit. From what it said, the suit was nearly to Cloudsdale, and would take another minute or so before reaching them. Binary feared the drone would stop feasting before the suit got here.

Calmly returning to the rest of the officers stationed outside the entrance, most of them hiding inside the building, Binary joined their ranks and watched the eerie drone. Some of the officers wanted to make a run, or flight, for it. Binary quickly hushed them. Wanting to take a more stealthy escape.

"What're we gonna do? That thing is coming after us next!" one officer whispered fearfully.

Binary raised his hoof to quiet the panicked officers, "Alright, listen up. For now, hide in the factory. I'll take care of the drone."

The officers silently nodded in agreement, one-by-one disappearing into the factory. Binary wordlessly watched the drone feast, making sure to take in all of the drone's different movements.

Finally, the drone looked up from its kill and hissed like a water boiler. Binary stood his ground, glaring at the wickedly sharp blades that made up the drone's wings as they reflected in the sun.

"Come at me you demon of Tartarus." Binary growled challengingly at the drone, watching as it slowly crawled off of the robotic carcass of the Air Series.

As it passed the Air Series' head, the drone made a swift, downwards cut with its wing, slicing it off and knocking it towards the unfazed Binary. Watching it skid close-by, Binary watched the optical sensor flicker before giving out, the neck wires trailing off sizzling.

Scoffing at the drone's attempt in challenging him, Binary gradually approached, locking his eyes with what appeared to be a chink in the leg plating.

Keeping low to the ground, the drone's "mane", a flowing mass of white cables, whipped in the wind as it neared, a low growl emanating from its unseen mouth.

"You seriously think you defeat the pony that brought this world into a new age of technology? I'm going to enjoy pulling you apart and remaking you into a better drone." Binary bragged, having what little fun his job had. Although the drones were considered "emotion-less", Binary noticed it cock its head to the side when he made the remark.

"Am I offending you?" Binary challenged with a smirk. The drone seemed to snarl at the comment.

The two were nearly yards apart, facing each other down like an old showdown. Binary kept his posture straight and his face calm, he didn't want to seem afraid to the officers. In reality, he wasn't. This drone might be something new, but its construction seemed flawed. Evidential when it stalked, the right foreleg seemed to bend out slightly.

Then, something very odd happened. There was a deep series of clicks, followed by a long, jointed tail stretching out from the drone's rear. The tail reached around five feet in length, breaking up into a separate joint after every foot or so. It wavered in the air, swaying in an almost hypnotic manner. Binary made the mistake of training his eyes on the strange tail, right before it suddenly dipped drastically to the ground. As Binary followed the tail's direction, he noticed the drone leaping up to his meet him, a purr of grinding metal rising as it closed in.

Knocking into Binary, the drone pushed him to the ground, spreading its wings and bringing its tail to hover next to its head. Although the drone had no visible mouth, which was instead replaced by sleek, sloping steel, the drone's tail caused him great unease. It slowly slithered down to dangle right above Binary's neck, just barely swiping past the exposed flesh.

"Guess you are pretty good, huh?" Binary managed to say, his voice held back from the drone's hoof pushing down on his chest, stemming his breathing.

The drone gave off a satisfied chirp, raising its tail as if to deliver the final blow. Then, its eyes, large, yellow headlights, sputtered as a loud _"BANG!" _rang out through the air.

Gradually, the drone's head pivoted to face its attacker. Standing a few meters away, one of its "machine gun" barrels smoking, was the 8R0NY suit. The jetpack Binary had attached earlier was slightly dipped and spraying a light smoke, but otherwise, the suit's paint was glimmering in the sun, reflecting in its glory.

The drone whirred angrily at the suit, which stood like a statue, as if it had done nothing at all. Humorously, its foreleg was still raised, with the machine gun mounted on top, implying the damage it had done to the drone.

"Hey, Wires. Can you hear me?" Binary called out, his chest now free from the drone's hold. There was only silence, causing Binary to shudder at the thought of how he was going to take on the drone now.

Deciding to the test the suit's potential he yelled, "Uh, initiate sequence…" he trailed off, not sure what to say. The suit's head seemed to be looking at him now, as if recognizing his voice.

"_Crap, what should I say?" _he pondered, as he watched the drone hiss at the suit before returning its attention to Binary.

Getting an idea, Binary decided on long-distance combat.

"Alright, 8R0NY, perform perimeter scan of one hundred yards." Binary commanded. Unfortunately, the suit didn't respond. The command seemed to irritate the drone who gurgled irately, raising its tail once more.

Panicking, Binary tried a new approach, "8R0NY, open fire on nearest robotic subject."

The suit's machine gun sprung to life, firing off a volley of bullets that tore into the drone's exterior. The drone shrieked loudly, getting off of Binary before charging the suit.

Standing up as quickly as he could, Binary watched as the suit stood in the same spot, continually shooting at the drone. The drone never seemed to give in, keeping its stride as it neared the suit.

When the drone got within pouncing range, it jumped up and swung its tail at the suit's head, easily clipping its faceplate.

Binary was confused; the suit's only action was to fire its gun at the drone, nothing more.

"_This might be harder than I thought. Maybe if I provide a bit more 'specific' directions." _He thought as the drone prepared to swing again.

"8R0NY, initiate close-combat mode." Binary instructed. The drone's tail neared the suit's head again, but this time, the suit suddenly lurched into motion, locking its foreleg around the tail. With surprising strength, the suit picked up the drone and slammed it onto the ground, causing it to bounce quite high.

Binary cheered and excitedly screamed, "Now beat him down!" The suit unexpectedly seemed to understand, walking over to the shaking drone and dropping down on it, savagely smashing its metal hooves down on the drone's head. Blow after blow, the drone's head got more and more dented.

The pegasi officers were poking their heads inquisitively out to see the suit beating down on the drone. When they saw it, they all began to yell in delight and ran out to see the battle more closely.

The drone struggled fiercely to escape the suit's beat down. Suddenly it slashed at the suit's back, seemingly rupturing the jetpack's wiring, causing it to ignite and send the suit flying up into the sky. The applause and praise suddenly hushed as the squad of officers stared warily at the drone that eventually stood, shuddering from the assault.

It groaned, locking its shaky eyes on Binary, who began to back up as it lurched after him. Binary glanced up to see the suit struggling to head back down, but couldn't seem to dislodge the pack.

"8R0NY! Use your laser to cut the cords!" he shouted, hoping to get the suit's attention. It seemed to work, as the suit's laser suddenly fired, messily slicing through the fiber cables holding the jetpack. As it fell back down, Binary remembered an attack formation he used on a dragon once.

The dragon had advanced from the Western mountains in Equestria, flying over the Everfree Forest. After several negotiations were attempted, none ending well, Binary came in with a squad of Air Series and a single Ground Series. At first failing miserably at pacifying the dragon with non-lethal weapons, Binary wanted to go on to the offensive arsenal. However, he was reminded by Wires that the Drone Initialization Act forbid the use of any lethal weapons on something not authorized by the Princess. So, Binary thought of a brilliant strategy of using the Air Series drones to carry the Ground Series above the dragon and to drop it down on its neck.

Working quite well, the immense weight of the drone took out a pressure point in the dragon's neck, knocking it unconscious in an unpopulated area. Later, a platoon of drones had carried the comatose dragon to an island far from Equestria. Using a technique would provide some similar results to the drone, but to a varying degree.

As the drone approached, Binary called out to the dropping suit, "8R0NY, initiate 'Formation: Meteor Shower'!" The technique was named that after the dragon situation. It was a joking comment from Wires who later adapted it into his programming.

Astoundingly, the suit obeyed. It took a position of placing its hindlegs together to form a "hammer" with its body.

The drone was getting rather close, but the suit fell faster when it took the new stance. When the drone got close enough to Binary, he simply smiled and indicated upwards to point out the falling suit. The drone didn't even acknowledge the gesture, but instead kept coming. Just as the suit came down on the drone, Binary did a little bow for some fun. Although the suit wasn't as heavy as the Land Series, it still crumpled the fragile framework of the drone, easily crushing it.

The group of officers let out a collective cheer when 8R0NY slowly stood from the wrecked drone. Binary gazed intently the suit's glowing, red eyes, becoming lost in them. There was a sudden roar of machinery before a whole squad of Air Series drones touched down, there tasers out and ready.

"A bit late." Binary murmured as he walked calmly towards them, "Follow." He said to the suit, which turned so swiftly, the metal of the defeated drone warped considerably underhoof.

"Stand down, the threat has been neutralized." Binary ordered. He watched as the drone's tasers all folded back in, the fizzing arcs disappearing underneath their armor.

The lead drone walked up to Binary and Wires' voice blared from the intercom, "Good, to see you alive, Code. Although, I don't recommend pulling out a prototype drone from the Vault and using it in a legit threat."

Binary rolled his eyes, "As you can see the threat has been taken care of."

"Just barely. You can thank the heavens that the suit got to you in time. I have to admit I am impressed at the fact that you used a jetpack for flight, but still, very dangerous." His voice angrily crackled.

The suit came to a stop next to Binary, spectating the argument between the two.

"I'm also surprised you didn't choose to wear it." He mused, mockingly using the drone to stroke its chin.

"I didn't have time, I had to act." Binary stated with a scowl.

"So, what exactly do you want to do now, chief?" Wires teased.

"Well, clean up the drone over there," Binary nodded to the mutilated Air Series, "I'll arrange a Guard funeral for Silverfeather when I get to the castle." He pointed out the corpse of the Lieutenant, "Also, we need to run a full analysis of what _that _is." He finally pointed to the wreck of the drone the suit had destroyed.

Wires was quiet for a moment, "First, done." One of the other drones marched up to the demolished one and began scooping the pieces into its hollow chest cavity. "Second, it's sad to see him go; he seemed to be a good pony. Third, that is the strangest drone I've ever seen, I'll make sure Circuit and I will get an intensive analysis done." He answered, sending another drone to pick up the remains of the pony-like one.

"What time is it?" Binary asked.

"You've got twenty minutes before the meeting." Wires replied.

"Damn," he turned to the squad of drones, "Numbers 121, 122, and 123, front and center." Binary directed. Three Air Series reported in front of Binary, saluting as they assembled.

"122, take 8R0NY back to base. 121 and 123, on me. I need an escort to the castle." Binary instructed. The middle drone picked up 8R0NY and blasted off into the distance, while Binary and the two other drones began walking to the edge of the cloud.

As they neared, a harsh voice rang out, "Stop right there, _Captain_. I want a word with you." Binary knew it was Iron Spear, back again for more harassment.

Binary turned towards the old stallion and scowled, "What now, Sherriff?"

As the he approached, he seemed to chew, causing his overgrown mustache to shake around his snout. His face seemed to collapse as he came to a stop, the deep wrinkles folding over each other, "I have a right to know _what in Tartarus was that._" He bellowed, causing it echo across the space, turning the heads of the group of officers who had previously been eyeing the drones suspiciously.

Binary sighed, he didn't want to sound unofficial, but he had to say something, "Well, we aren't entirely sure yet."

Iron Spear's brow furrowed even more, "So what you're telling me is that you have _no _idea what you're dealing with?"

Binary managed to keep his calm, "Yes, that's exactly what I'm implying."

Iron Spear smiled cockily, "Looks like the Captain's got a new case on his hands."

Binary was losing his patience, "Listen, Sherriff," he growled, "I have very important business to attend to. As you saw, my team took an extensive scan on the crime scene, and is analyzing it as we speak, right, Wires?"

Wires piped in from 121's intercom, "Yes, sir."

Iron Spear wasn't impressed, "What about that," he paused, chewing on his lip, "_thing_?" he probed, his blue eyes watching Binary closely.

Binary's eye twitched slightly, "We'll analyze that too, trust me." He assured.

"Hmm, so from what I've heard you're going to the meeting at the castle?" he asked.

"Yes." Binary answered simply.

Iron Spear turned to leave, much to Binary's relief, "Well, than. I guess I'll see you there. I have a report to file."

"Is that so?" Binary grumbled as he turned as well.

Irritatingly, Iron Spear heard the remark and responded, "Oh, yes. The murder can wait; I have a faulty drone to report attacking these ponies."

Binary could imagine the cocky smirk on the grizzled cop's face as he closed his eyes and let himself drop off the side of the cloud, throwing away his worries as he fell.


	4. The Silent Knife

The thick gloom overwhelmed Pick as he scaled the wall. Thanks to his mysterious stamina he could keep himself going for a long time, driving the pickaxes thoroughly into the solid stone. As he climbed, he focused his mind on the task at hand, rather than drifting off to think about the horrible crime he had just committed. His rage had kept the overwhelming tears at bay, allowing him to have enough strength to climb.

The cavern had gone dark approximately ten minutes ago, as he had reached the point where the lightbulbs at the bottom couldn't extend their glow, submerging this section into uneasy darkness. Normally, the lift would pass through this area with surprising ease, basking itself in a warm, friendly glow, so the miners could forget about the sinister black beyond.

Pick stopped his ascension temporarily, allowing his breath to return to normal. He found that his monstrous strength had limits, as his forelegs were now aching, causing a constant sore to surge through his upper body. His hindlegs had been found impractical, though. Pick had used them to provide some support, but his hopes were quickly proven futile when they couldn't get a secure grip in the sleek wall. So, they drooped uselessly under him, awaiting the return of solid ground. Surprisingly, his upper body held against his weight and also provided enough strength to pull him up the sheer cliff.

As time dragged on, Pick began to worry what he would find at the top of the cavern. He imagined riots, war, or pure madness had broken out topside, causing the workers in the factory to go crazy.

"_This is ridiculous," _Pick thought to himself, _"There was probably an accident, like one of the giant ovens exploding as a mishap. It's happened before." _

He found the silly thoughts on the disaster above surprisingly comforting; they were a shield against the horrors that lay below, trapped in death and terror.

Craning his head upwards, Pick struggled to see if he was close the top. He knew that he had climbed at least a half-mile, judging by the time he had spent climbing. Knowing this, he recognized that the light of day would be upon him soon, and he could continue with his mission.

At long last, he saw what appeared to be the long, fluorescent lightbulbs built into the ceiling of the main factory floor. Struggling with his excitement, Pick steadily pushed his adrenaline for a quick, but safe exit.

As he got closer, Pick could hear what appeared to be a strange crackling noise, but he knew what it was, it was the dreaded sound of fire. To confirm this, the telltale stutter glow of flames bounced along the top of the lift, casting the worn red paint with renewed brilliance.

Finally reaching the top, Pick noticed that the large maw of the cavern was covered in a metal crosswalk, allowing small beams of light to pierce Pick's body as he pulled up next to the cover. Examining the worn makeup of the old steel, Pick placed the pickaxe cautiously in one of the small holes in the cover, providing ample stability.

Making sure the other pickaxe was firmly placed in the cliff, Pick yanked on the cover, hoping to dislodge a piece large enough to pull himself out. It gave a slight groan as Pick managed to bend a section, showing the age of the metal. Sighing, Pick tried once more, using his weight as pressure to snap the cover. Eventually, it came with off with a satisfying _"THUNK!" _causing Pick to suddenly dangle from the other pickaxe buried in the rock, watching as the broken piece was quickly swallowed up by the darkness below.

Grunting in effort, Pick tried to get a hold in the wall once more, but found his pickaxe suddenly give way, the head snapping from the handle and letting Pick to drop into the gullet of hell once more. A single yelp was all Pick got out before the vertigo of falling took over.

**-Binary POV-**

The brief fall from Binary's jump off the cloud allowed him to acquire a small period of euphoria, making him sigh in content as the wind brushed against his face.

The rush ended on an abrupt jolt when the Air Series drones 2-121 and 2-123 snatched him from his fall, causing him to shudder with energy. They locked their arms around Binary's forelegs, making him hang in-between, opening up a view of Equestria below.

"ETA?" Binary asked simply, directing it to both drones.

"ETA approximated at five minutes, sir." 2-121 rumbled in the same monotone voice associated with all drones.

"Excellent. What is the status update on the meeting?" Binary implored.

There was a pause before 2-123 replied, "Sir, through limited knowledge, the database explains that typical Royal Guard attire is required."

"Anything else?"

"No, sir."

"Well, than." Binary nodded in thought. He pondered what this meeting was about, they were usually rather descriptive in what to wear, what paper-work to bring and so on. Binary was a bit worried that the Princess hadn't specified anything but the time, place, and attire. Then again, the meeting could only be considered a brief exchange of current news with the council, nothing more. However, the uneasy thought irked Binary, who squirmed slightly in the drones' grasp.

The rest of the trip carried on in silence, despite the roaring of the thrusters, as the drones carried Binary over the countryside before touching down in Canterlot. As soon as the two drones landed at the foot of the castle, Binary instantly began walking as they released him. As he neared the flight of steps before the door, one of the drones suddenly slapped something down on his head. Feeling with his hoof, Binary found it to be his Royal Guard helmet.

"_That's strange; I had it on when I was in Cloudsdale." _Binary though as he felt a slight dent near the plume.

As if reading his mind, 2-121 answered with, "Master Wires instructed us to bring it along after you lost it in Cloudsdale, sir."

"Well thank you." Binary answered while searching the rest of his body for his royal attire. He found his royal chest-piece intact, but with a slight scratch along his cutie mark emblem. His cutie mark, a square of dark-green combinations of the numbers "1" and "0" was etched into his flank in tiny lettering, allowing the many letters to be place evenly. Binary had asked Wires to write down the numbers on his flank and was given a piece of paper scripted with the following numbers:

**01000010 01101001 01101110 01100001 01110010 01111001 0101100 0100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 0100000 01110000 01110010 01101111 01100100 01101001 01100111 01111001 0100000 01101111 01100110 0100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 0100000 01010011 01110100 01100101 01100001 01101101 0100000 01100011 01101100 01100001 01101110 0101100 0100000 01110111 01101001 01101100 01101100 0100000 01110010 01101001 01110011 01100101 0100000 01100001 01110011 0100000 01100001 0100000 01101110 01100101 01110111 0100000 01101000 01100101 01110010 01101111 0101110 0100000 01001000 01100101 0100000 01101001 01110011 0100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 0100000 01101011 01100101 01111001 0100000 01110100 01101111 0100000 01110000 01110010 01100101 01110110 01100101 01101110 01110100 0100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 0100000 01000100 01101001 01110011 01110010 01110101 01110000 01110100 01101001 01101111 01101110 0101110**

Binary had stared at that piece of paper for hours on end, trying to decipher its meaning. Wires had dubbed the number combinations "binary code" after Binary himself. Wires stated that the mark consisted of two numbers, "1" and "0", and was referred to as "binary" for the two numbers. The "code" came from the unknown message inscribed on Binary's flank, Even the Princess wasn't sure what the numbers meant, she had stared at it quizzically.

Even though he didn't know what the numbers meant, Binary still wore them proudly on his chest as he walked around in his royal armor. As he marched through the front doors, being saluted by the two unicorn guards on duty, Binary strode through the castle using his distinct memory. Eventually, he reached the doors to the council chamber, striding up to the large double doors. As neared, the two unicorns on duty noticed him and opened the door, saluting him as he went.

"Is that a new design, Captain?" one of the guards asked as he walked passed.

Binary stopped and turned with his eyebrow raised, "What makes you say that?"

The guard nodded to his attire, "Your armor seems to be a bit damaged, sir. Especially your cape." Binary pulled his cape up to his face using his hoof, he saw the many rips and tears scattered across the fabric.

"I see, do you two know of any good tailors around here?" Binary asked.

The guards glanced at each other before the one who hadn't spoke before piped in, "I know there's a mare in Ponyville who know a thing or two about fixing clothes, pay her a visit, sir."

Binary smiled and nodded to the guards, "Thanks for the info; you stallions have a nice day." He turned and went into the room, noticing the large oak table that the various council members huddled around during meetings. Binary saw several of them now, all sitting in ancient, wooden chairs placed evenly around the table. He noticed the Princess seated at the head of the table, two guards standing next to her. Binary marched evenly up to the trio and saluted. The two guards saluted in return before they retreated to the wall, watching from afar. The Princess smiled slightly and nodded once to Binary who awkwardly bowed before taking his place at the Princess's left side.

"It is good to see you in the castle, Captain." Celestia whispered.

Binary grinned, "Already missing me, Your Highness?"

Glancing to his right, Binary caught the Princess's troubled scowl, "Now, Binary, we agreed on lowering the formalities a bit, remember?"

Binary nodded, "I remember."

"Then why don't you follow it? It is an order after all." Celestia said with a sly smirk.

"Standard protocol, ma'am." Binary replied with his most serious gaze, trying not to lighten-up before a serious meeting.

When the Princess didn't reply, Binary asked, "Not to intrude, but I was surprised to find a rather plain update on the guidelines of this meeting. Why is that?"

The Princess seemed to shrug, "Alas, Captain, I do not know. I have passed the duties onto my new secretary."

"New secretary?" Binary scoffed.

"Yes, he does his best. Perhaps I have forgotten to inform him of this." She answered, the boredom nearly audible in her words.

"Where is Lady Luna?" Binary asked, gazing around the chamber for the second princess.

Celestia seemed to tense, but before she could answer, a figure strode proudly into the room, his badge glinting off of the light.

Sherriff Iron Spear grinned slyly to Binary as he took a seat right near Celestia before bowing to her in respect. On instinct, Binary released a low, short growl, causing the Princess to cast him a glance.

Before Binary could apologize, an old stallion spoke up from the middle of the table, "May we begin?"

The Princess snapped back into her royal posture, "Yes, of course, Mr. Snowstorm. Continue as you please."

The aged stallion nodded slowly before addressing the entire room, "Good tidings, everypony. I hope today is a more beautiful day than the last. I certainly hope so, as I believe that the weather pegasi are planning a rather splendid evening." He rambled before another wizened stallion pat him lightly on the arm, causing him to remember the task at hand.

"Ah, yes. I do apologize for my tedious word-play; it happens to all of us I suppose," Some ponies nodded in agreement, "Now, let us begin the meeting with roll-call!" he stated.

Binary remained as still as possible, but he could see the cocky Iron Spear leering him from his spot at the table. The only thing holding him back was the most powerful pony in existence sitting in-between them.

**-Pick POV-**

Pick fell extremely quickly, the lightheadedness of the drop causing him to nearly vomit midair. He spun as he plunged, suddenly smashing into an iron pole that made of the lift's support system. The pain taking over, Pick pulled back, allowing him to fall without distraction.

"_I need to get a hold of the lift cable. That way, I can maybe pull myself up." _Pick thought to himself. Breathing heavily, Pick pivoted his body into position before backing up ever so slightly, his hindhooves brushing against the stone wall. Taking another heavy breath, Pick pushed backwards, scrapping against the cliff face with force.

Grunting, Pick launched himself, his strenuous work replaced by a heavenly bliss as he soared before he collided into the main support beam of the lift. The hit almost blacked-out Pick as he struggled to hold the nearby cable, straining his grip on the steel fiber as he dropped. Eventually, Pick found himself wrapping all of his legs around the cable and squeezing against the harsh fiber as it cut through his hide. Nearly in tears at the pain, Pick hugged the cable desperately, thanking fortune as his drop painfully slowed to a stop.

Pick hung for a few minutes, groaning at the pain around his limbs and face from the harsh friction burns. At long last, Pick found the strength and courage to inch his way along, excruciatingly making his way up the cable towards freedom.

Surprisingly, Pick found the space around him suddenly caught off as he edged upwards. He knew from experience that it was the short strip of steel that enclosed the near-top of the lift before leading to the open space below. Motivated at this thought, Pick writhed to keep going, finally relieved as he dragged himself to the top of the lift, past the steel cover for that matter, and into the surprisingly open elevator shaft. With a painstakingly difficult jump, Pick managed to reach the ground floor of the factory, collapsing under the pressure of his pain.

He eventually managed to open his tired eyes to the sight of the blaze licking at the various equipment placed along the main floor. As he watched the flames grazing the building, he noticed he had yet another challenge of him, the collapsing concrete slabs from earlier had come from this section of floor. Pick could see that the floor around the lift had collapsed to the cavern below, leaving the weak metal cover over the gaping hole. What set Pick on end was the fact that ever so often the cover of metal would groan, indicating the slowly collapsing frame. Knowing he didn't have much time left before the weak metal gave way, Pick slowly crawled towards the solid floor. Directing his attention away from the hungry flames, Pick fearfully gazed down into the gullet of darkness below, watching as the worn out cover bent gradually as he made his way to safety.

With solid ground so close at hand, Pick began to increase his speed, making the concrete tantalizingly stand out from the metal cover. His hooves fumbling for purchase, Pick finally groped the concrete, grinning like a madpony as he writhed to get onto the floor completely.

What he didn't realize, however, was the large amounts of rust contaminating the metal near the edge. Pick didn't recognize this until he was halfway across, struggling to stand while his hindlegs still on the metal.

With a sudden _"SNAP!"_, the section of aged metal gave out, Pick's rear sliding into the craw of despair once more. His hooves fumbling for a grip, Pick found terror as the phantom hands of death dragging him to his grave.

**-Binary POV- **

Binary managed to stay still while the meeting took place, ever so often glancing at Iron Spear who seemed to be firmly fixed to the talking elders. Their rambling seemed to go on for an eternity, causing Binary's eye to twitch occasionally. They discussed topics such as recreational parks, waste control, and livestock limitation, which Binary was part of. Finally, they managed to reach Binary's request of introducing the 8R0NY as a fully legal tool for defense.

"I think they _should _create a national park for Equestria, it'll help people ease their minds and let them get away from their troubles." An aged mare explained.

After a few more sullen nods, Celestia attracted their attention with a cough, "Well on that cheery note, Captain Binary Code would like to request a new addition to his law." The old ponies turned their heads to Binary, they're worn eyes overcast with age. Iron Spear scowled in the corner of Binary's eye.

"Thank you, Princess." He said with a polite nod to Celestia, "As you all know, I passed my 'Royal Guard Benevolent Replacement and Drone Initialization Act' a few months earlier. According to statistics gathered by my team, crime has gone down considerably thanks to my drones restoring order in Equestria. Now, even though crime has decreased exponentially, my technicians and I have designed a fully functional 'suit' of sorts for me to wear; thus, providing a new, friendlier face to the drones." Thankfully, the elders nodded in agreement, they seemed to do that more than speak.

Finishing up, Celestia addressed the council, "As you can see, the Captain has good intentions with his updated law. Can't we all agree that this new 'suit' of his will provide even more peace?" more nods from the elders, "All in favor of updating his law?" all of the elders except Iron Spear raised their hooves.

Celestia summoned the official parchment of the "Royal Guard Benevolent Replacement and Drone Initialization Act" and began to add the new information to it with a majestic quill materialized from her magic. When she had finished, she slid it down the table for the elders to sign. When they had finished, they passed it back over to Celestia who made it vanish with her magic. Binary smiled and bowed to each of them respectively. As the meeting finished, Iron Spear spoke up, "Hold on, everypony. Captain Binary, what exactly does this suit of yours do?" he asked with fake innocence.

Binary kept his composure, "Well, Sherriff, you of all ponies would know what it does. In fact, you saw a demonstration an hour prior to his meeting."

Iron Spear glared, "You mean that forsaken thing that almost _killed _my men?" This statement turned all of the heads in the room.

Binary sighed, "They aren't _your _men, Sherriff."

Mr. Snowstorm looked accusingly at Iron Spear, "You mean to tell me you've been commanding Cloudsdale men _again!?" _he snarled.

Iron Spear rolled his eyes, "Mr. Snowstorm, I have a _right _to command the military, I am of acceptable rank. As for you," he pointed his hoof at Binary, "I have read every law in Equestrian lore, including yours. After all, I have to enforce _every single one_, except yours, which you have taken out of proportion."

Binary grit his teeth, "Hopefully, you read that my law allows me to dispense up to ten thousand drones into service at one time; thus,-" Binary stated before Iron Spear cut him off, "_That _only applies during a time of war, which we aren't part of at the moment. Besides, what does a colt like you know about war anyway? I've been in _three _wars. _Three_. You've lived long enough to make this the most fearful nation in the world." He rumbled.

Binary sneered, "Before I was rudely interrupted by the Sherriff, I _was _going to state that the 'ten thousand drone' rule only applies during wartime, but I guess Iron Spear and I are on the same page then. Also, _Sherriff_," Binary said with an almost bestial growl, "The cost of being a feared nation is enough. If Equestria is feared, then we will have no opposition in any sort of war."

Iron Spear murmured quietly, "How do we know war won't come from our own people? Or should I say _machines_?"

Binary was ready to kill Iron Spear on the spot, but he held himself as best as he could, "Are you referring to my drones, the guardians of this nation, a _threat_, Iron Spear?"

Iron Spear let out a small chuckle, "You bet I am, colt. Those things can crush us in an instant, and you use them as your playthings. If anything, what I saw in Cloudsdale confirmed this thought perfectly."

Binary answered in defeat, "What you saw in Cloudsdale wasn't mine."

He dropped his head in shame as all eyes looked at him in fear. "Is this a crisis we're talking about?" an old mare called out.

Binary shook his head, "From what I know, that drone was probably one of a kind, it is being analyzed as we speak, we'll make sure that nothing gets out of hoof."

Iron Spear was infuriated, "For all we know, that _thing _could have caused the murder. Even better, it could have been one of _your _drones." He finished with an evil gleam in his mystic eyes.

"You are trying my patience, Iron Spear, please leave the chamber to avoid any unnecessary conflict." Binary stated in his most official tone, this seemed to make Iron Spear even madder.

"Two things, colt. One, you refer to me as "Sherriff" or "Sir" nothing else. Second, I can come and go at my own damn pleasure, so don't start with me." He snapped.

Binary turned slowly at first, keeping his face fierce as he snarled at Iron Spear, "Better crawl into your grave while you still can, you old relic. Otherwise, I'll be more than happy to take whatever sad excuse of a soul you have left, and toss your withered corpse into a casket in Tartarus itself."

Iron Spear seemed scared, he took a few steps back as Binary rounded Celestia's chair and headed straight for him. Just as Binary was about to reach him, he suddenly found himself outside of the castle.

Growling in fury, Binary turned and screamed at the building, "Iron Spear, I won't rest until this is over!" The two guards at the entrance stared alarmed at the enraged captain, who stormed off, drones 2-121 and 2-123 in tow.

Marching along, Binary patrolled the streets of Canterlot, gazing into storefronts and watching ponies shop, but never did anything himself. Eventually, he found himself at the front of a nightclub, gazing at the neon letters marked "HUF". He smiled at a sudden thought and hid in a nearby alley.

A few minutes later, the two drones walked out with Binary's royal armor. Two minutes after, Binary marched out as if an ordinary civilian. He waited patiently in line until the large bouncer waved him into the club. He strode in with a loose swagger, trying to seem as inconspicuous as possible. He ordered a drink that seemed to glow an iridescent blue, and chugged it in boisterous splendor. It tasted sweet in his mouth as he swayed to the edge of the dance-floor, watching experienced ponies go crazy with complex dance moves.

His head bobbing to the heavy bass-line filling the air, Binary gazed up into a small compartment built into the wall. He could see a stallion's head moving around to the beat. Assuming it was the DJ by the headphones braced on his head, Binary saw that he appeared a bit worried while he worked, a sheen of sweat on his forehead. Never doing any dancing himself, Binary meandered back to the bar where he ordered more of the glowing drink. After downing about twelve, he watched the seemingly frightened DJ mix his tunes, playing alien melodies that bounced around in his mind as Binary swayed along.

As the drunken night brought him into a slumber, Binary was hopelessly unaware of the horror happening outside.

**-Pick POV-**

Cursing himself for not possessing the right limbs to keep him alive, Pick yelped as he desperately clung to a still stable piece of the metal cover. It groaned as it began to give in, causing Pick to scream in anger frustration. Just as it broke, Pick managed to launch himself from the cover and onto the concrete floor, embracing it as the fire raged around him.

His body broken, Pick managed to drag through the burning factory, on the path to freedom. He managed to limp past the giant ovens used for smelting the iron ore found in the mines. The various workers of this task could be seen among the wreckage, some smoldering in the flames, others lying broken on the floor. As he passed them, he strangely nodded on instinct to each one, as if honoring their deaths. Eventually reaching the main entrance, Pick stared with hatred at the ruins of a collapsed catwalk that usually interwove above the main floor. A section was now blocking the doors, causing Pick to curse in anger.

Upon reaching the debris, Pick began to gradually toss it aside, grunting in pain as he worked. Finally, he managed to move of all it out of the way and threw his body at the doors, expecting them to be locked, but found them open. As he knocked into them, his body flew into the air before hitting the cool ground, causing a new surge of pain to course through him.

Lying in the chilly night, Pick gulped in mouthfuls of the precious air. He struggled to stand, as he did, he noticed the burns caused from his bout with the lift cable had caused large patches of bloody scratches to form over his legs, hooves, and face. Touching it gingerly, he felt the irritating tingle against his skin. Muttering curses, Pick slowly made his way back to the tenement.

As he left, he looked back to see the clouds of smoke billow from the open doors, the tongues of flame following soon after. Like a scene of Tartarus itself, Pick spit at the foot of the crumbling building and made his way slowly back to his apartment. As he travelled through the slum, he noticed that the denizens were either watching from the safety of their homes or at a respectable distance. Pick respected them for it and made faster progress with the thought of the singed miner safely travelling home after his fight with the demons of Tartarus. As he stumbled into his apartment, Pick went straight for the medical cabinet in the bathroom. Used often after mining accidents, the cabinet contained most of the cheap supplies that Pick's father had used to save his son's life after the explosion.

Wrapping the burns carefully in gauze after properly disinfecting it with medical alcohol, Pick swallowed an entire bottle of painkillers. Not caring about anything else, Pick dropped a sleep filled with more scenes of terror than one could enjoy.


	5. A New Order

Soundlessly sleeping for who knows how long, Pick eventually awoke from his much needed rest with no pain besides a throbbing headache that seemed to slowly go away when he sipped a glass of cold water. Sighing in pleasure of not fighting for his life, Pick sat quietly in his apartment, contemplating the events that had unfolded. He didn't know how long he had slept because there wasn't any form of clock in the tenement. The only way Pick had kept count of the days was the small calendar near the punch-in station in the factory.

Loping over to the balcony, Pick gazed out at the charred husk of the factory, its smoke stacks having collapsed and opening the roof after an apparent cave-in. The emotionless gray was now majorly covered in a layer of black soot, spreading over a majority of the exterior. His thoughts wandering, Pick imagined the cruel fates of the miners trapped a mile inside the world, slowly starving to death in the cruel bowels of stone.

Contemplating his next move, Pick got up and walked away from the horrifying sight of death and walked into the bedroom he and his father shared. When they lived together, his father owned the single closet while Pick got a fairly large chest. During the time he was young, his father forbade Pick from entering the closet. Now that he was alone, Pick walked tentatively up to the closet. He threw it open to find a rack of old clothes, some checkered shirts, a worn tuxedo, and an old miner's uniform.

While searching the closet, Pick came across a black leather jacket his father must've worn during the years before being a miner. Slowly putting it on, Pick examined the glossy jacket, marveling at its beauty. Digging farther, Pick found an old electric guitar, painted in a fading red, its strings were still perfectly attached. Holding up the guitar to the light, Pick gaped at the stunning instrument, admiring its various curves and turns. He found a black strap that he looped into the holders, allowing him to sling it across his back. As Pick finished his search, he pondered how his father, an earth pony, had played an instrument such as the guitar. He had seen a gryphon perform with one, using its slender talons to string the acoustic he had held. Thinking back, he figured his father's cloven hooves would have to do something about it. They could hold the pick somewhat while playing. He wondered how he would play it, like his mother before him; Pick did not have cloven hooves. It didn't really matter; he just wanted a memorable parting item from his father.

After finding a simple white pick in the closet, Pick slipped it into his jacket pocket before heading out. As he gathered more medical supplies into his coat, Pick considered his name coming from the pick of a guitar rather than a pickaxe. After collecting all of his provisions, Pick left the apartment for the last time, looking around before heading outside. Glancing up at the tenement, Pick recollected the times he had spent gazing out from the worn building. After this pause, he sighed before turning and walking away from the slums, making his arduous journey to Canterlot.

**-Binary POV-**

The psychedelic stupor slowly lifted from Binary's vision as he progressively awoke. Looking around, he noticed he had somehow passed-out in one of the club's booths. His hangover had taken a toll on his head as he sat up, massaging his temples as he looked around. There was no one around except the bartender who lay slumped on the bar itself. Binary's blurry vision focused on a figure sneaking a glass of the glowing liquid from the bar.

"Wh-what are y-y-you…" Binary slurred. The figure noticed him and raised his hoof to command silence. Binary obeyed, clutching his head as it throbbed with the memory of the pounding bass. Suddenly, the figure slid into a seat across him while sliding a cup of water across the table.

"Drink up, it helps. A lot." The figure directed. Binary sipped the comforting water carefully to make sure he wouldn't spill.

"Th-Thanks." Binary stammered in-between each sip, he watched the figure closely and saw it was the DJ from before. He smiled, and Binary took his appearance in. He was a gray earth pony who had a short, spiky mane of black with a strip colored white. His luminescent yellow eyes glowed in the low-light, their radiance mixed with an almost sinister black presence in the corners. He wore a black vest with a white undershirt while rolling the sleeves up, exposing glimmering golden cufflinks. His simple black and red headphones hung at his neck.

"Don't mention it. Sucks being drunk, doesn't it?" he asked with almost teasing curiosity as he watched Binary drink. Binary was too winded to talk and instead nodded solemnly.

"First time?" he questioned. Binary nodded again.

"You ever party this hard before?" he tried with a sly grin.

Shaking his head, Binary answered, "Never partied at all before."

The DJ looked disappointed, "Crap, I was hoping you were one of those experienced clubbers or something. Then again," he grinned again, "An experienced clubber wouldn't pass out after a few drinks."

"Twelve a lot of drinks?" Binary asked, looking up in worry.

The DJ looked astonished, then burst out laughing, "Dude, that's _a ton _of drinks!" he then realized the noise he was making and quickly shut his mouth.

Binary groaned and slumped in his seat, "What time is it?"

The DJ got out of his seat and walked over to the bar, he gazed at a clock on the wall before replying, "It's about ten in the morning."

Binary groaned again and clutched his face, thinking what he may have missed last night. He remembered his cuff and went to turn it on but found it dead. It apparently had short-circuited by accident, probably one of the glowing drinks spilling onto it. He watched the DJ take a swig of one before asking, "What _is _that?"

Stopping his drinking, the DJ frowned at the beverage, "I don't know actually."

Horrified, Binary swallowed a lump in his throat, "You don't know and you're drinking it?"

The DJ shrugged, "Doesn't really matter, it tastes good." He said before chugging the rest.

When he had finished, he smiled sluggishly, "_That _hit the spot."

With a sigh, Binary closed his eyes and began to think, _"What exactly happened after I drifted off?" _

Binary opened his eyes, "Did you happen to see anything last night?"

Looking at him with a pacified stare, the DJ yawned, "Not really. Lights gave me a bit of a seizure when I was working." He snickered before leaving Binary with that thought before retrieving another drink.

"Nothing at all?" Binary pressured.

The DJ shook his head, "Nothing that I could notice. Although…" He said, trailing off.

"What?" Binary asked scared.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but you look like a stud. So let's hope you didn't get lucky last night." The DJ explained, a sly smirk on his face. As Binary processed this, he could hear the DJ humming a catchy tune quietly.

"Wait, I don't understand." Binary said.

The DJ narrowed his eyes for a moment, "Hmm, judging by your looks, you look like you're from upper class Canterlot. Am I right?"

"Uh, yes, you could say that; but what does this have to do with what happened?" Binary questioned.

"Let's see, how would I place this…" The DJ thought out loud, apparently to himself.

"I guess a toss in bits then? Or perhaps a toss in that weird hay rich ponies buy sometimes. I've seen them in catalogues." The DJ pondered.

"What are you even _talking _about?" Binary asked.

The DJ sighed, "A toss in the hay, I don't freaking know. Sex. I'm talking about S.E.X. Mating, breeding, reproducing, take your pick."

Binary shivered, "You didn't have to put like _that_."

The DJ glared at Binary, "I kinda had to. You need to learn some slang, dude. Less awkward for me, but you forced my hoof."

"Uh, sorry." Binary muttered.

"'S alright." The DJ replied while getting up and snatching another drink.

When he got back, Binary watched him gulp the entire drink before asking, "How do you tolerate those?"

Gazing longingly into the empty cup, the DJ answered, "I don't know. I've never had one of these before. One of the waiters came up to me and asked if I wanted one. You know, what the hay, so I took one and it tasted good. So, I drank more." He smiled at the thought, then, his face dawned in horror, "You don't think I passed-out too? Crap, I hope it was after my set." He grumbled some more while Binary looked into his now-empty glass.

After a pause, Binary decided he was fit for travel, "It was nice meeting you, uh…" drifting off purposely for the DJ's name.

"Name's Spins. Record Spins, or DJ Dynamo if you prefer." He said with his relaxed smile.

Binary was intrigued, "DJ _Dynamo_?"

Record's grin grew wider, "Dynamo: A hard-working, tirelessly energetic pony. I'm making a song about it, it'll be called 'HWTEP'."

Nodding in thought, Binary replied, "Or, dynamo as in a machine that converts mechanical energy into electrical energy, usually in the form of a direct current."

Record indolently raised an eyebrow, "What now?"

Binary sighed, "You move, you create power."

Record nodded slowly, "Sorry, a little drunk at the moment." He said with a slight hiccup.

"Me too." Binary added while got up and extended his hoof, "Nice meeting you, Record. I'll be sure to visit again."

Record tried to follow but buckled instead. As he lay on the ground, Binary noticed his vinyl record cutie mark clashing against his light-colored flank.

"You didn't tell me who _you_ were." Record said as he stood.

"Oh, right, name's Binary Code." He said while once again extending his hoof. Record shakily took it and answered, "Cool to meet you, dude; but I have to ask, did you enjoy the music?"

Binary looked at Record's wobbly smile for a moment before answering truthfully, "To be honest, it was incredible! But it was so _weird_. What was that music anyway?"

Record's drunken smile lifted, "It was something called 'dubstep'. Those bass drops really help bring the party to life, huh?" With Binary's reassuring nod, Record placed his hoof on Binary's shoulder.

"Do you wanna know where I got those tunes?" he whispered. Binary's curious look made him chuckle before murmuring, "Humans." Binary cocked his eyebrow at Record, "_Humans_?"

An enthusiastic grin, "Yeah, I got a friend who lets me use her vinyl collection. She tells me that these strange tunes come from the 'human world'. What do you think?" he asked.

With a roll of his eyes, Binary answered, "I don't even know what a human is. Besides, you seem to have drunk a lot of these drinks."

Record gave off a delayed shrug, "That's true, but you think I should mention it in my biography?"

"You have a biography?" Binary snorted a bit rudely.

Record didn't seem fazed, "Not yet. I have a pen-pal from Gallopsburg. He's a fiction writer who's including my persona in one of his stories. After that, he'll make a biography for me!"

Binary considered this, "Maybe I should get a biography."

Looking at him curiously, Record responded, "What do you for a living?"

Binary panicked, Record didn't recognize him as captain of the royal guard, but he decided Record was foreign, "I, uh, work in electronics."

Seeming to buy the story, Record asked, "That's cool. Wait, do you build those awesome robots outside?"

Secretly happy that Record liked the drones, he answered, "No, I want to though. 'Awesome robot designer' is about ten steps above my pay-grade." He said with a mock shrug.

Record looked saddened, "That sucks. You'll get there someday."

Binary grinned shrewdly, "If you could design one of the drones, what would you put on it?"

Record returned the grin, "Well, I'd put some kind of adapter-thing so that the awesome power of dubstep could be used as a totally cool power. Like blasting away villains with beats and such."

"I like it. Say, could I borrow one of your songs?" Binary asked with innocence.

"Sure, just bring it back next week. I need it for my next gig." Record replied obliviously.

As he went to the DJ booth for the songs, Binary gazed out one of the windows and saw the street eerily empty. When Record came back clutching a vinyl disc in his mouth, Binary asked him about the quiet atmosphere.

"Not exactly sure. I thought Canterlot has like a siesta or something. It's getting ridiculous how long it's lasting, though." He answered, glaring out into the street.

After thanking him for his company, Binary left Record inside HUF and headed out to look for drones to take him back base. After a bit of wandering, he spotted two Ground Series patrolling on a sidewalk.

He gestured them over and they complied, but suddenly raised the tasers on him. "Halt, citizen. Outside travel is currently restricted due to martial law."

Ice-cold terror pounded through Binary's body, "_Martial law!? _Who has authority to use that now?"

The drones stared at him for a moment, "Please, sir. We need your to step inside until the alert is lifted." One of them rumbled.

"Security override. ID specification, Binary Code. Security question's answer: Daft." Binary stated. After a series of clicks, the drones saluted him, "Our apologies, sir."

"It's fine." Binary grumbled.

Suddenly, Wires's voice came in over the drones' radios, "Code! Good to see you alive, and, wait, that's a lot of alcohol in your bloodstream. _What in Celestia's name were you doing!? _I've been trying to find you all night. The drones have been searching for your DNA signature but couldn't find anything. I guess this alcohol has been blocking you blood from being tracked."

Binary raised his hoof, "Two words: martial law. What _happened?_"

"Jeez, Code. You disappeared at the wrong time. About two hours ago, a public bombing took place in Canterlot Square. _Thirty-five ponies are_ _dead_. Almost fifty are injured. There was just an emergency meeting in the castle. I attended in your place, but…" he trailed off, the drone shaking its head to show his movements, "Iron Spear made you look bad. He insulted you a bunch, said you abandoned Equestria as a traitor."

Binary screamed a curse and stomped his hoof in anger. His mouthed frothed with rage, "Wires, you better tell me this ended well."

"Err, no. Binary, you are no longer Captain of the Royal Guard. You're marked as a traitor, and you are wanted dead or alive." He paused, letting the feeling sink in, "As of now, you're a criminal who's supposed to be locked up in Equestria's darkest dungeon. But you have a friend like me who broke the law."

"Celestia help me. What happens now, Wires?" Binary pleaded, desperate to absolve this mistake.

"The worst is that since Circuit and I are only technicians and aren't really members of the Royal Guard, we weren't eligible to replace you." Wires said quietly.

"Which means?" Binary replied, terror and anger in his voice.

"The Sherriff is now the Captain." Wires said sadly. Just then, a loud rumble could be heard in the air.

"Right now, I'm either supposed to arrest you or kill you. So, were going to pretend that I'm arresting you. When he gets here, you are going to escape; I'll make sure of it. Then, you hightail over to the castle and fix this before it gets you killed. If not, we'll hide you until the heat dies down. I'm having Circuit send in 8R0NY for back-up; let's hope you know how to use it properly." He explained, using the drone to gesture.

Suddenly, the large thuds of several tons of steel began to pelt the street around Binary as he watched a squad of Air Series drop down from the sky, their machine guns pointing at him. Right after them, a squad-leader landed, its height stretching an extra foot and brandished a yellow stripe on its exterior. Teleporting in as soon as the squad-leader landed was Iron Spear, brandishing the royal guard armor Binary had worn just last night.

"Well, well. Catching our criminal was pretty easy. You know Binary, I really like these machines after all, very useful." He smiled cruelly as the drones surrounded Binary.

"What should we do with him, Captain?" Wires asked Iron Spear. The question hurt Binary, who watched as his enemy controlled his friend.

"As much as I would like him dead on the spot, I think a good example of my new leadership will be a public execution." Iron Spear mused as he paced around the drones.

"I can kill you if I want to." Binary said with a sly grin.

This seemed to scare Iron Spear who stared at Binary with disbelief. "Impossible! I reset your recognition code myself." He said aloofly.

Binary clucked his tongue while shaking his head, "You forgot my security override, but it doesn't matter, you're going to die a 'hero'. Like you always wanted."

Iron Spear's face turned a bright red, "_Fire!_ Kill him now!" The command was interrupted by the squad-leader suddenly releasing a sharp noise as a flare exploded out of its chest. The flare leaped around the ground, distracting all of the drones and Iron Spear as Binary fled for the side-streets.

Ducking into an alley, Binary slipped through a maze of them before reaching what was known as Canterlot Square. It stretched several blocks in each direction, the beige squares of artistic design spanning the complex. In the middle was a gradually disappearing plume of smoke, and underneath it was a fairly large crater, a scorch of dark ash extending from the hole. Binary could see several blackened limbs of several former ponies laying around it, making a charred grave for the unfortunate.

Cursing himself, Binary stuck to the side of the square, gradually making his way to the castle looming in the distance. Hearing the roar of the Air Series jets behind him, Binary snuck under awnings and other cover to keep himself hidden. He eventually reached the castle's front steps, spotting two drones at the gate and two pegasi guards at the main entrance. Stepping up his walking speed as he neared the gate, Binary got the two drones attention before spitting out a command, "Security override. ID specification, Binary Code. Security question's answer: Daft."

Reacting instantly, the drones gave off several deep clicks as they reset. "What are your orders, Master Binary?" they said in unison.

Without stopping, Binary entered the castle grounds while speaking, "Neutralize the two pegasi contacts at twelve o'clock. Follow me into the castle and subdue any pony guards while we travel."

The drones were silent for a moment as they followed their leader, "Sir, that is in violation of two sections of the 'Royal Guard Benevolent Replacement and Drone Initialization Act'." They replied simultaneously.

"No time for laws now, drones. We have a mission to fulfill." Binary said coldly as the two guards began to walk towards them.

As they neared, Binary could hear the heavy footfalls of the drones stop. He turned and saw them standing still, unmoving.

"Hey! This is currently restricted territory! Turn back or you will be arrested." One of the guards shouted.

Binary turned to them as he spoke to the drones, "Disengage fail-safes. Bypass password: Armageddon."

He grinned wildly as he heard the drones point and fire the tasers at the horrified guards, watching them twitch occasionally as they lay on the ground. He stepped over them with a mocking old guard salute before approaching the doors. He reached out and touched the handle to be met with a shock of electricity. As he looked closely, he could see a magenta force-field engulfing the castle.

"Magic, eh?" he growled before turning to the drones. They stood ready, their tasers crackling.

"Incoming transmission from Master Circuit, sir." They rumbled. As they did, a holographic menu popped out of their optical scanners.

Circuit's face suddenly spanned the screen, his face a tight smile, "Good to see you alive, Binary. Wires has already filled me in on everything that's happened. I'm sorry things had to turn out this way."

Binary nodded solemnly, waiting for Circuit to continue, "Well, I've been working all night, and I managed to finish the 8R0NY suit. I'm sending it to you now." The video feed of his face shrinking to show a map of Equestria. It showed Draken Mountain, the place where Binary's base resided, and Canterlot. A red dot with a matching tail was rapidly approaching from the mountain to the castle, blinking occasionally.

"Code, be careful." Circuit said then chuckled, "Sorry, we don't usually talk to each other like that, huh? Now's the time to worry what we're up against; but don't worry, Wires will double-cross Iron Spear eventually. We'll keep you alive, trust me."

Binary smiled, "It's been an honor serving with you, Circuit."

"Same here." he replied with a sad smile.

Suddenly, 8R0NY landed next to Binary, its sensors glowing maliciously.

"Looks like your ride's here." Circuit beamed as the suit saluted Binary.

"So how exactly do I work him?" Binary asked as he walked around the suit, inspecting the new thrusters in matching paint welded to the back.

"Wires uploaded a detailed manual. You'll get the hang of it. However, there are two catches." Circuit answered.

Binary watched Circuit warily as he explained, "First, if you break your cuff, you'll be in complete isolation from us. So no repairs, no supplies, and no refueling." Binary was perplexed, "What's it run on?"

"Normally, it runs on an electricity battery like all drones, but that'll run-out in a day or so. I've installed deployable solar panels in the chest-plate. You can charge it, but it takes a while. Especially at night." He clarified.

"You can't use solar panels at night." Binary stated, "You can, but the ultraviolet light is in very low amounts. The moon shines because of sunlight reflecting off its surface. Don't believe that whole 'magic is the answer to everything' rule. I honestly think the Princesses just use that as a publicity stunt or something." Circuit retorted.

"Out of all the ponies, I'm one of the top ones dedicated to science, Circuit, you know that. I'm just a little less educated than you." Binary countered.

Circuit sighed and smiled again, "I've discovered a new anomaly too, if you use rainbow essence that can be a sufficient fuel source too."

"It's not easy finding rainbow essence, Circuit." Binary said with an arched eyebrow.

Circuit held up his hooves defensively, "Hey, I'm just providing tips on survival here. Heed my advice, Code. You'll need it."

Binary nodded and smiled at his assistant, "Thanks for everything Circuit. I hope we see each other in a time of peace again."

As he saluted, Circuit looked at him dumbfounded, "What, you just assume that we'll never see each other again?"

"Not saying that. I'm just preparing for the worst-case scenario." Binary said as he studied the suit, which hadn't moved.

"Before you go, how do you put this on?" Binary asked as he leaned in to examine the various creases of the armor.

"At the moment, you can use verbal commands or use your cuff. I tried sending you the instruction manual, but it wouldn't complete the send." Circuit mused.

Binary held up his hoof to show his cuff, "I found out it isn't waterproof."

"What'd you do?" he snapped.

Binary looked down, "I got drunk for the first time."

"Wow, that's new." Circuit looked shocked, "Beer _is_ a bit hard to get out of the circuitry." Circuit grumbled.

"It didn't _taste _like beer, more like thin, sweet water. The weirdest part was that it _glows_." Binary replied with a shudder.

"Oh that fungus stuff? The opliptera make it using a special species of mushrooms."

"Huh, that's interesting. I didn't even know the bat-ponies could do that."

"They aren't 'bat-ponies', Code. They're officially known as 'oplipteras.'" Circuit explained.

"I got it. I got it." Binary replied.

"Wait, that's prefect! We can just send you to Old Canterlot to live with the oplipteras!" Circuit said excited.

"What now? You're confusing me, Circuit." Binary grumbled.

"Nevermind, we can discuss that later. Listen, Code. Celestia hasn't tried anything on you yet. That means this is all Iron Spear. Use the laser system on the shield to bust it." He instructed, "Oh yeah, you've got a limited number of MDGs in there too. Use them sparingly."

"Sorry, what are MDGs again?" Binary answered confused.

"Stands for 'Magic Disruption Grenades'. Using a specially targeted blast, the release courses into the affected molecules of the magic; thus, creating a 'return to sender' effect that sends a specially-tuned electrical current that'll paralyze a unicorn's horn. A distant, crippling blast to a unicorn, to make it simple." Circuit explained.

Binary snickered, "Impressive, my friend. What're the drawbacks?"

"Besides that you only get five, it takes a few seconds to detonate, so that can cost you your life. Also, it only affects certain spells, such as force-fields. If you do it on something like a fireball or an energy blast, it won't work. However, we unicorns have developed 'trap spells' which is a perfect way to catch things using low amounts of energy. Anyway, if you happen to rig a trap spell at the right time, the results can be devastating. To help, I tuned your HUD so that it can see them."

"Thanks for everything, Circuit."

"Don't mention it. I'll see you soon, good luck." He saluted before disappearing when the menu closed. The drones saluted as well and walked away, returning to the search for the supposed "traitor."

Turning to look at the force-field, Binary narrowed his eyes on the magenta aura. It wasn't Celestia's magic, but somepony elses.

Biting his lip, Binary spun to his suit, "Uh, get on."

The suit did nothing.

"Assemble!"

Still nothing.

"Fuse?" The suit suddenly tackled Binary. It's front peeling away to reveal a padded, hollow interior. It slid over his frame nicely, parts clicking into place as it closed over him. The neck-piece formed a metallic choke-hold on his throat as his head was engulfed by the helmet. Only his face was free before the face-plate chomped down on his face, locking him inside the suit.

It was surprisingly easy to move in, the various joints moving smoothly to avoid any awkward resistance. His vision was tinged red by the optical sensors, various elements of the HUD floating around in the corners. Pivoting his head, Binary stared at the force-field blocking the door.

Watching the magenta aura shimmer in the light, Binary spoke, "Arm laser, left foreleg." He held up his hoof to see the slender laser unfold from his foreleg, its tip lighting up with a burning-red.

"Fire." Binary commanded, as he watched the beam of light strike the force-field. It seared the magic, causing it to sizzle dangerously. As he worked, a message popped up in the side view of his HUD.

"What now?" he growled, "Open." He instructed. The message showed a length of sixty chapters, most of them labeled "FAQ."

"Hide." Binary commanded, it shrunk into a corner of his screen.

There was a sudden surge as the field burst, causing Binary to stumble backwards. He watched the door carefully.

"Switch vision mode, infrared." He directed, guessing if the feature was available. It was. The vision tint went to a dark-purple, but in front of him was an assortment of brightly-colored silhouettes shaped like ponies. It was the Royal Guard, waiting for him to enter.

"Well than, let's see if I can have some fun with my new toy." Binary pondered as he opened up the manual again.

"Filter, weapons." He was directed to a specific chapter in the manual aptly named "Weapons."

"Filter, tactical weapons." A section titled "Tactical Weapons" appeared.

He scanned through it, finding a part labeled "The Hologram Diversion" it read: _"Using a special projector system located within the helmet, the user can create a temporary hologram of the 8R0NY suit. This can be used to distract enemies to allow a stealthier approach to combat. Warning: This may alert enemies of your presence, strike hard and fast." _

Chuckling, Binary cycled through the "Weapons" chapter until he found a strategy named "The Electric Eel Effect." It description made Binary shudder in delight: _"Diverting a surge of electricity from the 8R0NY's power core, the user can issue a close-range jolt of power to stun nearby enemies using the conductivity of the metal plates of the suit. Warning: Using this strategy will drain power supplies depending on length of use. Also, if the suit's electrical power supply were to be depleted, then the tactic is considered ineffective." _

Binary went to work; he deployed the hologram system, watching as a series of beams stretched from his optical sensors, causing a near-duplicate clone of him to appear nearby. It shuddered occasionally, showing the flaw of the hologram. He positioned the unmoving clone in-front of the door, watching it stutter as he began using commands to divert the electric current into his suit, grinning when several volts crackled around his suit's plates.

Flipping through the manual, Binary discovered a hover system using the support thrusters in the hind-legs. He read: _"Using the power of aerodynamics, the user can activate a ten-way, support thruster system to provide a controlled hover. Tip: Try not to hover for too long in high-danger situations, this can open you up for an unavoidable attack before being able to dodge." _

Issuing a series of commands, Binary watched as the thrusters on his hind-legs came to life, spouting a small breath of flame that kicked up a cloud of dust. Allowing more thrust, he was in awe when he has lifted off the ground. He flew slowly, cautiously inspecting the flight mechanics. He eventually flew up above the door, positioning himself so that he could pounce on someone leaving.

With a sharp kick from Binary's hindleg, the door slowly open, hearing several shouts in surprise as it did. He set the hologram to "Run" and watched it charge into the castle, the guards instantly running back at it.

"For the Princess!" they screamed as they clashed the hologram. There was a moment of pause before several cries of confusion rang out.

Binary than used a tactic known as the "Banshee Trap." A strategy that involved a high-pitched noise being emitted from the suit, drawing in enemies for an ambush.

Releasing the noise from his suit, its shriek reverberated off the walls of the castle; the inside suddenly went dead-silent as the noise finished.

"What in Celestia's name was that?" Binary heard one of them whisper.

"Go out slowly, we can take it out on surprise." Another muttered.

Binary grinned for a moment, and then stopped himself. What was he doing? He couldn't just mercilessly attack the guards who once looked up to him. But he had no other choice. It had to be done. So, as a group of guards slowly came out of the front door, Binary used a voice-throwing technique to throw the guards off-track.

"You think you can defeat me? Test your luck." He called out. As the guards made their way farther out, Binary cast another high-pitched noise among their ranks. He watched as the guards spun to look at each other, all of them confused. Then, he pounced.

Leaping from his perch, Binary landed among the guards who had unintentionally made a circle. Dropping in the middle, Binary directed the electric current into the ground, watching as the guards around him convulsed in pain. After they had fallen, Binary turned and strode into the castle, leaving the quivering squad of guards unattended.

He marched calmly through the castle, sometimes encountering a guard which he quickly neutralized with a quick shot of his tranquillizer darts.

His law prohibited any drones or security cameras in the castle. Normally, this made him quite irritated on castle security, but now it would be leaving Iron Spear in the dark on what Binary was doing.

Turning the final corner, Binary found himself at the door to Celestia's study. He had only been inside only a few times, but found the place magnificent all the same. He quickly turned his vision mode back to infrared, and found the room enclosed in another force-field, closing off his view inside. With a sigh, he positioned his laser and began to slice into the field.

There was a slight _pop_ before the force-field fizzled out. Binary watched two figures move inside, talking in hushed tones as the force-field gave way. The first figure he realized as the Princess, her tall, alicorn figure dwarfing the other. The other he didn't recognize but found it was a unicorn, estimating around his age.

He raised his hoof to smash the door but stopped himself; he didn't want to challenge an alicorn head-on abruptly. So, he began flipping through the manual for more helpful tips. He eventually decided to go with in with his laser pointed at the unicorn; he'd act afraid towards Celestia so that she would see that he hadn't really betrayed her. Even if she did try to teleport him away, he'd warn her that he could kill the unicorn faster.

With a prayer and a deep breath, Binary smashed the brittle wood, storming in with his laser pointing at the unicorn. They looked shocked at the robotic pony that had just broken through the door. Binary instantly trained his laser on the unicorn who he seemed to recognize him. It was a mare with a lavender coat, her eyes lit up with a mystic purple. Her mane was colored a deep-purple with a stripe of violet and magenta. She looked horrified as Binary pointed the laser at her.

"Don't worry, Twilight. It won't hurt you." Celestia said softly, her voice soothing the tension in the room.

"Princess! It's the assassin!" the mare named Twilight screamed.

"Hold on," Binary said quickly, his voice electronically synthesized. He opened his face-plate hurriedly, "Better?"

"Oh, Binary, please don't tell me you're the one they said would come for me." Celestia said mournfully.

"Of course not! There was a misunderstanding, I'm fine. We can lift the martial law; go back to the way things used to be." Binary pleaded.

"Princess, give him the box. Those _were _the instructions." Twilight said in a low voice.

Celestia looked almost tearful as she slowly approached, as she did, Binary hid the laser to show he was on their side. She handed him a small, simple box with her telekinesis. Grabbing it gently, Binary looked up at the Princess's face; she gave a slight nod before the scene vanished to be replaced with the open sky.

The feeling of vertigo suddenly overtook Binary as he plunged down. He was plummeting towards the ground from a very high point in the air. He instantly went into a hover state, using his thrusters. Suspended in the air in what appeared to be the wilderness below, Binary caught the fall of the box in the corner of his eye.

Diving down, the suit's face-plate snapped shut to cut-out the turbulence. Binary grasped the opened box as he still held the lid with special suction technology on his hooves. He gingerly inspected the lid, there was a note scrawled underneath.

Reading the scrawling text it read: _"At exactly noon tomorrow, your assassin will attack you in your castle. It will be one of your most trusted advisors. He will appear friendly at first, but will attack you as soon as he can. To keep the balance of Equestria in check, you must give this to him. Let him enter the castle. Before he reaches you, arm the box. When he confronts you, give it to him. Replace him later on. That is the mission. If you don't comply, you will face the consequences." _

Looking at the threatening note, Binary wondered who and why somepony would do this to Celestia. Thinking about that, he checked the box.

The last thing he saw before reality disappeared into white was a series of numbers: **"00:00:01"**


	6. Initiation

Pick had been wandering for nearly a few days, frequently stopping in small villages for rest while he made his journey. At long last, he arrived in Canterlot.

When he ventured near the border of the capital, he paused to peek through a break between two houses. He could see nopony on the street, everything was quiet and deserted. Slipping silently onto the sidewalk, Pick began navigating his way to the castle in the distance. As he walked, he could see that all of the security cameras attached to various street lamps were all active, scanning the desolate roads. Making sure to take extra caution, Pick patiently maneuvered past their timed watch. He found it odd that Canterlot had so many security measures. Back in Fillydelphia, the authorities couldn't care less what the condition of the slums were.

Pick eventually reached what appeared to be a main plaza. It stretched several hundred yards in a square in what appeared to be the center of the capitol. In the middle of that was what appeared to be a crater, its charred fingers reaching towards him. As he approached, Pick could see the burned limbs of several ponies lying scattered around the blemish of the square. Gagging, Pick watched the remains as he walked past them. Breaking into a light trot, Pick finally had the plaza to his back, anticipating the impending castle beyond.

Quickly come to a halt behind a trash can across the street from the castle, Pick watched a patrol of large, strange metal creatures pass by. Their bipedal appearance shocked him as they stalked past, their single, glowing eyes illuminating the coming night. Taking a deep breath, Pick rolled across the street, making haste towards the gates of the castle. They were closed and padlocked tightly, but Pick gathered speed as he broke into a sprint, hoping to vault it with his phenomenal strength.

As he reached the gate, he felt a sudden sting in the back of his neck. Attempting to swat it away what he thought was a mosquito, Pick was surprised when he heard the clink of glass. Looking back he caught the sight of a small, empty syringe lying on the ground.

Not having any time to react, Pick slammed into the iron bars of the gate, causing them to bend slightly from the impact. Dropping to the ground, Pick gulped for air as his sight was suddenly blurred into a haze of colors. Groping to stand, Pick found his once mighty strength diminishing as he slowly collapsed, his vision fading to darkness.

Awakening with a gasp, Pick found himself in a dark room, the gloom shifting across his tired eyes.

"W-What happened." He slurred.

"Who are you? Why were you trying to enter the Princess's castle unauthorized during martial law?" A distinctly male voice questioned from the shadows.

"I-I wanted to get r-revenge." Pick stammered.

The voice was quiet for a moment, "Is that so? What has the Princess done to make you want vengeance?" It asked.

"She almost l-let me die. Until now, I've been m-mining my entire life. When I was a foal, there was a gas explosion in the mines. I was the only one who survived; but I was left with serious burns. The few medics on duty managed to save my life, but the Princess wouldn't provide me with proper help to stop me from being scarred permanently." Pick explained, finally adjusting to the dark atmosphere.

"I see. Well, ever since you entered the city limits, we've been watching you. So, we decided your suspicious behavior could be somehow useful." The voice clarified.

"So, who are you then?" Pick asked, straining to see the voice's owner closely.

The figure seemed to chuckle as it shifted its position, "I am known as 'Phantom.' I am the head leader of the secluded organization known as the EPU; or 'Earth Ponies United.' After hearing your story, I am intrigued on how you could help us with our mission."

"Mission?" Pick enquired.

"Did you happen to see the crater in Canterlot Square earlier?" Phantom replied.

"Uh, yes. Did you do that?" Pick responded.

"As a group, yes. Our goal has been to overthrow the tyrant known as Princess Celestia. Most of us have been cheated through financial woes secretly. The analysts here state that several taxes we pay as a nation go towards the Princess's personal profit. Have you seen the Princess using these funds being used benevolently? No, because our '_ruler_' tends to isolate herself in her castle. People like and I wish for something much more personal. She has denied us the things we deserve in our lives. Thus, she shall pay." The voice enlightened, pacing slowly back and forth. Pick could see that the figure the voice belonged to a rather tall figure as its legs cut through the shadows.

"But why 'Earth Ponies United'?" Pick asked.

"It is because all of our members are earth ponies who share a common purpose. We see the general make-up of Equestria as unfair because the ways we see the unicorns and pegasi. For example, most unicorns are seen as upper class ponies living in luxurious areas such as Canterlot or other Equestrian cities that only house the wealthy and classy. Why? Because unicorns can do much more with their magic. As for the pegasi, they own a city completely isolated from Equestria because it is in the sky. So, we eventually discover that Cloudsdale has its own taxpayers that don't even pay to the capitol; as such, they live happily and peacefully. We can't do that because it is almost impossible to move out of the nation. Especially since the council won't listen to our pleas for a new, fair government. We also can't leave because the new captain of the royal guard has set up an entire army of robots that guard the borders. That's where you come in." Phantom in the shadows hissed angrily.

"You want my help in overthrowing the Princess?" Pick verified.

"Precisely, a coup d'état if you will." Phantom confirmed, its shrouded face watching eerily from the darkness.

"What happens if we win?" Pick asked, wondering what horrible plan would come from the dark.

"A new government. A democracy. With laws strictly equalizing the three races of Equestria." Phantom answered.

"So what exactly do you want me to do?" Pick questioned.

"At the moment, just to join our cause. Once we can properly test your abilities, we will place you accordingly." Phantom explained. Pick was silent as he thought of the proposal. Was he willing to join a group of terrorists bent on revolutionizing the nation? He supposed it would be best to work as a team rather than alone.

"Alright, I'll help you." Pick finally answered.

"Excellent." Phantom said, stepping into view. Pick was surprised to see that "Phantom" was completely covered from head-to-hoof. His head was covered with a black, nylon fabric that entirely hid all of his facial features. A dark tactical vest with many pockets and straps covering his torso. As Phantom gradually got closer, Pick could see that the rest of the figure's body was also covered in the nylon fabric.

"Aright, time for processing." Phantom said as he went to untie Pick who realized that he was tied to a chair.

He sat patiently as Phantom freed him from his bonds, "So what do you mean by 'processing'?"

"Don't be afraid. It is just a simple process of us dictating where you go in the organization. Think of it as an initiation." Phantom explained.

"Oh, an initiation." Pick said with mock excitement.

"The sarcasm can wait, recruit." Phantom scolded as he led Pick to a door hidden in the shadows.

"So what exactly do I have to do?" Pick asked.

"We have a few political prisoners that need assessment." Phantom explained.

"Er, which means?" Pick pondered.

"Interrogation." Phantom replied simply as he directed Pick down a narrow hallway.

Binary couldn't see, couldn't feel. Hay, he couldn't sense _anything_ until he began to hear things. It sounded like two ponies working over him. One was continuously talking, as if dictating the other. He couldn't hear what they were saying, as if he was being held underwater while they worked. Although he couldn't feel properly, Binary could almost as if he was no longer covered by 8R0NY. Also, he could feel as if something was being pulled out of him, as if his captors were pulling his body apart. Straining, Binary attempted to open his eyes but found himself too weak.

"_Damn. Why can't I move?" _Binary thought as he tried to awaken from his slumber. It was futile; he could already feel himself being drifting into the abyss known as unconsciousness.

However, just as was about to fade from the waking world, Binary could hear something. He wasn't sure what it was; but it sounded almost angelic as he plunged into the void.

Pick marveled at the complexity of the EPU's base as he was pulled along by Phantom; who tried to give him a brief tour as they moved along.

"There's the kitchen, the mess hall, the armory is down those stairs, and mission control is up that corridor." Phantom clarified in a rather bored tone as he guided Pick towards their destination. The hallways were a bright white, glaring with the reflection of the long fluorescent light-bulbs lining the ceiling. Occasionally, they passed windows that showed ponies working at desks, ponies engaging in combat training, and rooms full of weapons.

"An entire resistance force? Kept under Celestia's muzzle? How?" Pick mused.

"I believe you've studied Canterlot's history?" Phantom responded.

"Uh, no. Never had a day of formal education in my life." Pick admitted sheepishly.

Phantom sighed, "I see. Well, I can summarize it like this: During the pony and griffin war centuries ago, Canterlot was assaulted by air raids from the griffins. Thus, Celestia purposed that we build a series of tunnels under the city just in-case as a means of hiding underground. It worked successfully until the war was over, when Celestia decided to seal up the tunnels in hopes of never having to use them again. Over the course of the centuries following, these tunnels deteriorated into catacombs that haven't seen the light of day until I managed to reopen them recently."

"Wow, so you managed to turn ancient tunnels into a base like this?" Pick pondered mystified.

"Normally, I'm against the entire 'advancement into the future' ordeal. This was made into an exception when we couldn't live in the old tunnel complex." Phantom enlightened.

"That's, well, really smart." Pick responded, gazing at the futuristic feel to the EPU's base as they traveled.

After walking in silence after that, Phantom headed into a corridor lined with heavy steel doors, "Alright, here we are. Your priority is in cell number D-53." Phantom instructed as he walked with Pick.

"Uh, what exactly do you want me to do?" Pick asked as they walked past the C block and entered into the D block.

"We've recently captured a pony identified as an individual deemed important to our cause. Right now, he is waiting for proper processing, much like you were during your interrogation." Phantom stated as they came to a stop at the entrance of the cell.

"So you want me to stand in the shadows and ask him who he is and what part he plays in this?" Pick clarified.

"To some extent." Phantom answered, reaching into one of his vest's pockets and pulling out a similar nylon mask. "Now to properly extract the information we need, you must first seem conceded and mysterious. Slowly, you must become more and more aggressive. So that you scare him into telling you what we need to know." Phantom explained with what sounded like glee as he strode up to the door before extracting a series of keys which he used to open the intricate lock.

"Now remember, try not to get carried away while you work." He said as he opened the door with a heavy click.

Phantom slowly opened the door, inside was a small cell that was mostly cast in darkness. In the center was a chair with a stallion tied to it with rope. The stallion was knocked out; so Pick stepped inside while Phantom closed the door behind him.

Positioning himself appropriately in the shadows, Pick waited for the stallion to awake. As he did, Pick contemplated what to do when the stallion awoke. Should he take an immediate violent approach or slowly work up like Phantom had advised? He suddenly noticed the stallion beginning to stir as he considered the many possibilities of the interrogation.

The stallion looked up into the shadows groggily. He was a light-gray, almost white unicorn who had his once perfectly gelled hair askew as he studied his surroundings. As Pick looked closer, he could see that the stallion also wore a black suit, but it was being mostly hidden by the ropes binding him to the chair.

"_Must be one of those rich unicorns Phantom told me about." _Pick thought as he watched the stallion.

"W-Where am I?" The stallion asked.

Pick wondered if he could see him in the shadows, "You're with us." Pick answered, trying to keep the theme of mysteriousness.

"Who's '_us_'?" The stallion inquired.

"We are the EPU, or 'Earth Ponies United.' Our goal is keeping the balance of Equestria fair to all races." Pick explained as calmly as he could.

The stallion surprisingly rolled his eyes, "Oh, you're that group that keeps pestering me about my worker's life insurance and such."

"Workers?" Pick asked intrigued.

"Yes, I ran a recently successful steel processing plant in Fillydelphia. There was an accident, so I fled here. Escaping all the fines and such." The stallion clarified.

"You mean the one that burned down a few days ago?" Pick questioned.

"Yes, precisely." The stallion replied, causing a shiver to run down Pick's spine. "Who're you exactly?" The stallion asked, squinting into the dark to try to see Pick.

"That's not important right now." Pick responded absentmindedly, "What's important is why you didn't help your workers."

The stallion sighed, "You had to go as far as kidnapping me to force out of me why I abandoned my factory and why I didn't keep tabs on my worker's insurance. To answer, I could honestly care less what happens to them. All I need is my profit at the end of the week."

Instinct hit faster than judgment as Pick leapt from the shadows with a punch. He clipped the stallion across the jaw, causing several teeth to spill from the now-broken jaws of the stallion's mouth. The chair nearly shattered from the impact as it hit the ground.

"Y-You son of a b-bitch." The stallion slurred as blood pooled out of his mouth, speckled with several broken teeth.

Pick ignored Phantom's voice in his head as he leaned down and into the stallion's face, "_I just watched my father die in your fucking mines. I've worked in that cesspool my entire life. You're the first one who should've stepped in and helped me when I got burned when I was a foal. If anyone should pay for the damned stuck in that factory, it's you._" Pick hissed with absolute hatred.

"Y-You worked in that factory?" The stallion asked fearfully.

"Damn right." Pick growled.

"I can't help them now!" The stallion cried out.

Pick ignored the stallion and leaned in, anger and rage clouding his mind as he watched his father die in his head and the screams of the damned miners ringing alongside it.

He raised his hoof and brought it up to the stallion's shattered jaw, "If I had the power to make you suffer for each and every miner, including my father, oh by the stars I would let you have it." Pick said as he began to slowly push the jaw to the side, causing pangs of pain to surge through the stallion who had made him suffer through his miserable life of a miner.

"Damn you." The stallion managed to say.

Pick lets out a surprising demonic chuckle, "I've still got things to do. I'll see you soon."

Like that, Pick twists his hoof so quickly; all he hears is a slight popping noise as the stallion who secretly dictated his life in Fillydelphia dies before his eyes. Without even pausing, Pick gets up and pushes open the cell door to find a stoic Phantom.

"I see that you decided to take a violent approach." Phantom states as he glances into the cell.

"Yes." Pick answered simply, his face blank.

"Was he of any importance?" Phantom asked.

"No, he was rather useless. Just a former factory owner who had a smart mouth." Pick replied dully.

"I see. Well, recruit, you've officially passed the initiation. Congratulations, you are now an honorary member of the EPU." Phantom responded as he tapped Pick lightly on the shoulder.

"Sir, I have a request." Pick said looking at Phantom, a plan passing through his head.

"Yes, private?" Phantom responded.

"I want to become the head of the assault team against Celestia." Pick answered.

"How so?"

"Two things: I get to kill Celestia, and I want to become the head icon of this organization." Pick explained.

Pick could almost feel Phantom grin, "That can be arranged."

"I also have two more things for being the icon." Pick added.

"That is?" Phantom requested.

"First, I need a costume as a symbol; and second, I need a fitting name." Pick commanded.

"I can arrange for a costume to be made after we decide on a name, Captain." Phantom clarified.

"Captain?" Pick asked.

"I find 'Captain' rather fitting." Phantom explained.

"I got it." Pick suddenly said, grinning wildly.

"Yes?" Phantom mused.

Pick was quiet for a moment, "I hereby call myself 'Captain Steel.'"

"**I believe he will wake soon. His being will bring us great boon."-Next Chapter!**


	7. Pieces of Mind

A cold sensation overwhelmed Binary as he began to awake from his coma. He was finally able to lift his eyelids so that he could see a haze of colors around him, blinding sunlight piercing his vision. Shutting his eyes, Binary tried to focus his vision. Once he opened them, he found himself in a bedroom, tucked into a bed.

Although it didn't look anything like a prison, Binary knew he couldn't lower his guard just yet. Slipping out of the bed, he hit the ground a little too hard and found himself lying on the floor while clutching his side in pain. He looked down to find his torso wrapped tightly in bandages.

Standing slowly, he made his way over to the door of a large room, filled with various plants. Gripping the handle, Binary contemplated on just walking into the next room, he could easily startle anypony on the other side. Clenching his teeth because of his side pain, he knelt to peer through the keyhole.

He swiveled his eye to watch the contents of the room beyond; it had shelves that contained numerous vials of different liquids. He also saw fearsome tribal masks hanging from the wall, and in the center of the room was a large cauldron. Noticing the absence of life, Binary slowly opened the door and walked into the strange room.

He gazed at the rest of the room before hearing a clatter from behind. Spinning sharply, Binary came face-to-face with a shuddering yellow pegasus mare with a pink mane, he wings wrapped against her body.

"Identify yourself." Binary commanded, trying to keep the upper hand in the situation.

"I'm, uh, I'm…" The mare stuttered.

"She is not the enemy you seek; we need you in order to keep Equestria from being bleak." A voice called out. Binary turned to see the owner of the voice as a female zebra.

"Is that so?" Binary questioned, shifting his stance so that he could watch both of them.

"Um, yes, we saw the _horrible _condition you were in when you feel into the Everfree Forest." The yellow mare replied quietly.

Binary cringed as he recalled Celestia's deception, "Yeah, speaking of which, what did you do with my suit?"

"We put it up outside, but it doesn't look too well." The yellow mare replied.

Binary imagined the condition the suit must be in from suffering a point-blank blast. He clenched his teeth as he began to walk outside. As he walked past the zebra, she eyed him both suspiciously and curiously as he limped by.

As he got outside, he could see that the house was located within a tree. He backed away and wandered around nearby until he found 8R0NY propped up against a curving trunk of a tree. Noticing immediately the burned steel from the explosion, Binary sighed in relief that only the outer steel layer had been damaged. On closer inspection, he also noticed that the vulnerable cables located in the neck had been protected by the face-plate when he had looked down at the bomb before it had exploded.

"Can you fix it?" The yellow mare asked from behind.

"Personally, no. The outer steel layer needs to be replaced because of the magnitude of the blast. However, I can remove the shrapnel quite easily. All in all, it'll still work, but the armor will be weaker." Binary explained.

"This machine seems to be different than the others, perhaps it is made to be unlike its brothers?" The zebra asked.

Binary found the zebra's rhyming odd, but chose to ignore it, "If you mean the other drones, yes. This suit was made as a battle armor for a soldier, in this case, me; but one of my technicians built it so it can run independently if need be."

"So it hurts others?" The yellow mare asked fearfully.

The innocence of the question stung, but Binary still answered truthfully, "Well, yes, it is a military weapon after all."

The zebra looked at the yellow mare, "My dear, it is the case whether the machine is a shield and not a sword, and if it is a shield, will it keep its word?"

"The answer is yes, I will defend my nation to my dying breath. Right now, it seems that I need to overtake it for its wellbeing." Binary clarified.

"Wait, take it over?" The yellow mare asked horrified.

Binary sighed on the fact that the mare was too in the clear of the dark times Equestria was facing, "Yes, in a sense. You see, until recently, I was the captain of the royal guard."

"Just like Twilight's brother Shining Armor!" The yellow mare said in response.

Binary smiled, "Now there was perfect captain, Shining Armor was my commanding officer back in the academy. To be honest, I was a little hot-headed when I was still a private, but he helped me through a lot. When he retired, I was sad but you wouldn't believe my shock when I was elected the next captain."

"What happened?" The yellow mare requested.

Another sigh from Binary, "Sheriff Iron Spear, or should I say _Officer _Iron Spear displaced me after a night of, should I say, 'disorienting' events. Anyway, apparently the terrorist attack followed that morning and Iron Spear took the chance to take my position while I was away. Now, he basically rules the nation."

"That sounds terrible." The yellow mare replied sympathetically. The zebra didn't seem convinced, but kept quiet.

"What are you going to do now?" The yellow mare asked.

"If your friend doesn't mind, I ask that you house me for just a few more days. I need time to prepare the suit for travel." Binary requested.

"Where will you go?" She asked again.

"To Draken Mountain in the north. That's where my base is located. From there, I will attempt to take Celestia hostage so that I can force Iron Spear to surrender." Binary explained.

"Oh my goodness, you can't do that to Princess Celestia! She doesn't deserve it!" The yellow mare protested.

Binary was mad, "And do you think I deserved to be killed by a bomb from her? That's how I ended up out here! I tried reasoning with her and she gave me a box and teleported me out here to die. How do you think _I_ feel!?" He yelled.

The mare was frightened, "I'm sorry, I didn't know, but there is no way that Princess Celestia would do that!"

Binary sat down and stared at the ground, "Look, I don't want to hurt her, and I won't. She is being deceived by corrupt ponies in the government. I saw a note on the box she gave me that showed somepony was forcing her to do this. So this pony wanted to frame me so that I could be taken care of so that I wouldn't intervene later. My guess is that it was Iron Spear."

"I just hope you're not a bad pony." The yellow mare responded.

"I'm not. To prove it, I'm not only the captain of the royal guard, but the creator of all the security drones in Equestria." Binary confessed.

The two ponies exchanged looks that seemed almost fearful, "I don't want to sound rude, Mister, but Zecora and I find those machines rather scary."

Binary bit his lip, "That's the way I had them built, to instill fear in those who want to hurt our nation."

"I guess that makes sense." The yellow mare replied.

"Perhaps it is time to retire; I fear that the day will soon expire." Zecora commented on the setting sun.

"Zecora's right, we should go inside." The yellow mare added.

Binary nodded, "Alright, but just give me a second." he said while trotting over to 8R0NY. He input the light-mirror cover for the external plate so that the light from the moon would be able to create an invisibility cloak to keep the suit hidden. After setting the suit to solar charge like Circuit had instructed, he joined the mare and Zecora on the way back to the home in the tree.

"I just realized that I never introduced myself." Binary remarked on the way back, "My name is Binary Code, captain of the royal guard, temporarily replaced," he added, "and creator of the Equestrian drone system." He finished, giving a bow to his two hosts.

"This is Zecora, and my name is Fluttershy." The yellow mare replied, smiling warmly. Binary found it odd that this smile seemed genuine; generally speaking, he figured it came from the heart. Normally in his line of work, Binary watched many ambassadors, leaders, and politicians put on their best smiles when addressing the Princess. However, his royal guard training had taught him that many expressions can be fake in order to be deceiving, as if luring the intended target into a trap. In this case, they would try to convince Celestia to accept their conditions. Now, it seemed as if this mare had never been introduced into the corrupted part of society.

"It's an honor meeting you both." Binary said in return, bowing again. The bowing he was doing was also ironic as he made the custom of bowing to important officials as a normal routine. Now, he was doing it for these two ponies who had saved his life. It felt rude and insulting to do it to them. When they reached the home within the tree, Zecora and Fluttershy entered immediately, but Binary chose to stand outside for a while longer, gazing at the rising moon in the distance.

After a few minutes, Fluttershy poked her head out, "Are you coming, Mister Code?"

Binary took a deep breath, inhaling the fresh air, "Soon, I just want to take the scene in a little. To be honest, it feels like this'll be the last time I will have peace like this for a long time."

Fluttershy came out fully and joined him, "Why do you say that?"

Binary felt a great weight inside, "It's because until recently, I thought everything was going perfect. I thought I was going to go down in history as a great captain who helped revolutionize Equestrian security. Instead, it all started with a murder in Cloudsdale. Which by the way, I believe is still unsolved. That murderer could still be out there, plotting his next move. Hay, it could've been Iron Spear too. He seems to be at every situation that makes this whole mess worse."

Fluttershy remained quiet, almost as if she was scared to answer, but then she asked, "Mister Code, why don't you just _leave _Equestria. You're a wanted criminal, aren't you?"

Binary smiled at this, "It's because I'm something ponies like to call a nationalist, a loyalist, or a flag-waver. I prefer to call myself a patriot. Why? Because I'm a soldier, but not just any soldier, I carry the title of _captain_. I looked up the word in a dictionary once, definition nine said: 'An influential leader in a field or organization.' The others talked about rank. Rank doesn't matter to me because it just deems how you're all organized. If rank mattered to me, I'd heft the title of 'general' on there too. For what purpose? Because I've revolutionized security and warfare to a whole new level. My question is: Why aren't ponies thanking me? I mean, I'm saving so many lives they're uncountable. Not only in military recruiting, but also in national security. Going back to your question, it goes against everything I believe in. My sole duty in life is to protect my home, not desert it."

Fluttershy was quietly listening the whole time, "I'm not sure what to say."

Binary shrugged in response, "Then don't say anything."

Fluttershy looked at him, "When I see the things you made, they scare me; but the stallion I see here is completely different. At first you were scary, but then you lightened up."

Binary gave a solemn nod, "It's because I was practically raised in a lifestyle that taught me to be superior to others, to enforce control any way possible, and to display no emotions so that others cannot predict you're actions."

"That sounds brutal, we're you forced into it?" Fluttershy asked.

Binary shook his head, "I chose it. I wanted to be powerful, I wanted to shape the nation so it was a land of peace, back then it was more greed then innocent wanting, but I guess now I feel I need to set things right."

"You're so inspiring, just like all of my friends." Fluttershy noted.

Binary felt guilty, "Are they alright?"

Fluttershy looked up into the night sky, "From what I've last heard, Pinkie Pie and Rarity are still in Ponyville. Applejack is on her farm with her family. Rainbow went to Cloudsdale like the rest of the pegasi; and from the last I've heard, Twilight is still in Canterlot. As for my forest friends, I made sure to hide them deep in the forest so that nopony could get them. Angel is watching over my home for now."

"Wait, did you say that have a friend named Twilight in Canterlot?" Binary inquired.

"Yes, I hope she's alright." Fluttershy responded.

Binary gulped, "Is she a lavender unicorn?"

"Why yes, she is! Did you see her? Is she okay?" Fluttershy asked earnestly.

Binary sighed, "Yes, she's fine. We just had a bit of an awkward situation."

"How so?" She probed.

"Well, uh, I ran into her when I confronted Celestia in Canterlot." Binary explained.

"So, she's alright?" Fluttershy requested.

"Yes, besides the fact that I pointed my laser at her." Binary confessed.

Fluttershy looked horrified, "Hey, she called me a traitor. Besides, she probably would've attacked me if I didn't defend myself. I saw her hostility in her body movement." Binary added quickly.

Fluttershy considered this before replying, "What was she doing?"

"If I'm right about unicorn magic, she had force-fields defending their position in the  
Princess's study." Binary responded.

"Well she wanted to keep the Princess safe." Fluttershy responded.

"Yes, but was there really a reason for them to be defending the study. I mean, why wouldn't she just shield the entire castle?" Binary asked.

"That is a good point." Fluttershy agreed.

There was a moment of silence before Binary suddenly mouthed outloud, "Flu-tter-shy."

She looked at him, "Yes?"

"Nothing, I just like how you're name sounds." Binary said with a grin. She fixed him with a questioning look, but said nothing.

"Well," Binary said stretching, "I guess it's time for me to really turn in." He then opened the door and gazed at Fluttershy, "Well, once again, it was great meeting you."

She smiled that warm smile Binary enjoyed so much, "For me as well. Good to meet you, Mister Code."

Binary smiled in return, "It's just Binary."

"Oh, okay. Good to meet you, Binary." Fluttershy responded.

He bowed again as he opened the door for her. When she walked past she smiled in a way that made Binary feel strange, almost light-headed. He liked it; it made his troubles melt away. He hoped it could last forever.

**-Pick POV-**

As Phantom led Pick through the expansive base underneath Canterlot, he recalled what he had just done. A part of his mind told him to feel guilty over the fact he had just killed somepony, the other part told him that justice had been served. His strength had easily snapped the factory owner's neck; it was sickening, yes, but also satisfying. Pick's mind also wandered to how he had claimed the title of "Captain Steel" so abruptly. Lately, everything he did was rash, but he figured that it was all in good reason. However, he didn't want to seem too headstrong and simply claim his new title in a conceited way. It was like dealing with the Preps back home, just that it was him instead of them. His thinking getting in the way, Pick didn't notice that Phantom had stopped until he heard him calling his name from down the hall.

"Sorry," Pick apologized as he jogged back to the waiting Phantom, "I was just thinking."

Phantom nodded slowly, "Taking things in, I see?"

"Yeah, it's just this is a lot to take in. I mean, waking up in an interrogation room is enough of a shock but now I'm part of a resistance force against the Princess-" Phantom suddenly held up his hoof and Pick quickly stopped talking, "Private, or should I say Captain, your events of shock are still far from over. I can see that you are stressed with what is going on, but we need to keep moving. Right now, I'm about to take you inside the bridge. There, we will add you into our systems and have some 'provisions' prepared. Think of it as an orientation. Understand?"

Pick nodded in agreement and Phantom turned and opened a heavy, steel door and led Pick into a spacious room dominated by long sets of modern displays. At regular intervals, Pick could see an earth pony watching a screen, each of them would record the series of numbers and data that would appear. In the middle area, was a raised area that had a long table were a large map of Equestria was placed on top. Pick could easily see Fillydelphia in the north-east and cringed when the memories began to come back.

Losing track of where he was going again, Pick accidently stumbled into the set of stairs to the raised area. He quickly regained his footing and looked embarrassed as several ponies turned their heads. There was a quick exhale from Phantom, probably expressing his disappointment, and Pick got in-line with him as fast as possible.

Reaching the top, Pick noticed all of the earth ponies sitting at the long table instantly stand and stomp their hooves against the floor when they noticed Phantom.

"Are you the leader or something?" Pick asked as he watched the rigid figures standing around the table.

Phantom didn't seem to notice the question and simply muttered, "Remember to present yourself." as he walked around to the other side and stomped once, causing the other ponies to sit down. Although Pick couldn't see Phantom's face through the fabric, he could feel his eyes on him as Pick tentatively stepped forward.

"Private, the council of the EPU and I welcome you into this organization. Please present yourself accordingly." Phantom instructed.

Pick decided to stomp his hoof down as he straightened himself and said, "Private Steel Pick, reporting for duty!"

There was a collective nod from the collection of ponies before Phantom spoke, "Now, to properly assimilate you into this group, we need you to repeat an oath of honor." He explained.

Pick nodded, trying to stay as serious as possible, "Yes, sir."

"Repeat after me: 'I, Private Steel Pick, hereby swear to follow my duties as a member of the EPU organization. I will follow my superior's commands down to the very last detail. I will strike without mercy, with honor, and with the group's goals as my focus. Long live the earth ponies!" Phantom said. Pick proceeded to say those exact words until the last sentence, where he shouted the words as if it were a glorious anthem. After Pick had finished, there was a collective stomping from the earth ponies in the room. Pick made sure to keep still and not make a fool of himself again.

He waited until the stomping had died down and Phantom began to speak again, "Another to discuss is the potential I see in this new recruit. I chose to initiate Private Pick through the method of prisoner interrogation. The results were a rather brutal success. As I see it, I believe Pick should become the new icon for our organization."

"You want to make a pony we just initiated as our icon?" A stallion said from nearby, he was leaning against his chair, eyeing Pick in an annoyed way.

Phantom seemed to shrug in response, "Perhaps, he does show the promise, and the strength."

Another stallion from the middle of the table studied Pick from afar, "How did the interrogation go exactly?"

"From what I witnessed, Private Pick quickly and skillfully assessed the prisoner as non-important and dispatched him." Phantom clarified.

"I see." The stallion at the middle of the table said, watching Pick more closely, "Those skinny limbs could barely snap a neck!" The stallion closer to Pick cried out, gesturing to Pick's front legs. Pick was angry that this stallion would misjudge his ability, but kept quiet and watched Phantom who seemed annoyed when he spoke.

"Rockford, please refrain from your personal comments." Phantom scolded dully.

The stallion named Rockford, a pale orange earth pony with a dark yellow mane, watched Pick in what seemed like envy with sharp blue eyes. He grit his teeth and adjusted his position so that he could see Pick better.

"Now that this had been done, I would like to continue that Private Pick has requested that his name be 'Captain Steel.' Who agrees?" Phantom asked.

There was a collective mumble from the ponies before Rockford literally exploded in anger, "You can't just raise his rank! He needs to _earn _this title!" Phantom seemed to twitch in irritation, and Pick noticed him nod in Rockford's direction, as if gesturing for Pick to shut him up.

Rockford turned to Pick, "Anyone of us deserve this promotion _not you_." He hissed in anger. As he turned back to Phantom, Pick leapt at him, positioning his left hoof to clip under Rockford's muzzle. Pick pushed Rockford's head into a nearby pillar, watching as Rockford crashed at full speed. He instantly crumpled to the ground, groaning in pain.

There was a moment of shocked silence before one of the ponies asked, "Phantom? Are you going to let him do that?"

Pick turned to study Phantom's masked face, "He's only proving his point. See that he just proved his worth in a situation. Now, all in favor of promoting Private Pick to Captain Steel?"

There was a murmur among the group of ponies before the stallion from before replied, "We vote that Private Pick is promoted." Pick himself couldn't feel more excited as Phantom's hidden eyes came to look at him.

"Private Pick, I hereby promote you in rank to the title of 'Captain Steel.' Congratulations."

"**The hammer prepares to drive the nail of war while the Sun contemplates to show itself once more."-Next Chapter. **


End file.
